Bangladesh Case Study

Cyclone Prone

What do you know about

Bangladesh?

Geographical Background• Born as a country in 1971 when independence from Pakistan was

declared• Surrounded by India it straddles the fertile Ganges – Brahmaputra delta• It is one of the most densely populated countries on earth, with 141m

people cramped into only 144,000km2, giving it a population density of 981 people per km2 (2004 figures)

• It is also one of the least developed countries with a per capita income of $2300 (purchasing power parity) compared with a world average of $10,200

• However the economy is developing with average annual growth rates of 5%

• Muhammad Yunus the 2006 Nobel Peace price winner us from Bangladesh and has contributed to this growth through his micro-credit scheme

• However, the vast majority of people still work within the primary sector and rely on farming and fishing.

Cyclones• Bangladesh is cyclone prone, 1970 Bhola Cyclone killed

between 125,000 and 500,000 people. In 1991 Cyclone Gorky was responsible for 138,000 deaths. And now we have Cyclone Sidr 2007.

• The cyclones develop over the Bay of Bengal tracking west and northwards. Cyclone Sidr began as a atmospheric disturbance near the Andaman Islands on 9th November

• The warm waters of the Bay fuel the growth of the storm. Sidr eventually made landfall as a CAT 4 storm on November 15th

• The low lying delta lands of Bangladesh provide no protection from the high winds and store surges.

Cyclone Sidr track and landfall