The Brahmaputra river system
Another major river of India, the Brahmaputra holds significant importance in cultural and economic aspects.
Path of the Brahmaputra river
The Brahmaputra forms one of the longest river systems in the world.
Rising in Tibet east of lake Mansarovar, the Brahmaputra is called Tsang Po in Tibet.
Its origins are very close to the sources of Indus and Sutlej.
Most of the river course lies outside India, with the Brahmaputra being about 2900 km long.
It flows parallel to the Himalayas, towards the east.
On reaching the Namcha Barua peak, it takes a turn and enters India in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Brahmaputra in different regions
Many regional names for the Brahmaputra exist. In Arunachal Pradesh, it is called Dihang.
The Dihang meets tributaries such as the Dibang and Lohit to form the Brahmaputra as we know it in Assam.
In Bangladesh, it is called the Jamuna.
Other tributaries of the Brahmaputra consist of Subansiri, Manas, and Sankosh.
Brahmaputra in India
Through the Assam valley, the Brahmaputra covers around 750km of ground.
This is why the river carries a large amount of silt, due to bank erosion.
Most of the Brahmaputra’s tributaries are also large, which increases the problem of floods and bank erosion.
The Brahmaputra has a braided channel in Assam, and forms many riverine islands.
Braided channels are small channels separated by small and temporary islands.
These braided channels also lead to the formation of riverine islands.
'Riverine' means 'relating to' or 'resembling a river'. In India, we can find such riverine islands in the Assam region.
Majuli is a riverine island formed by the Brahmaputra in Assam , is the largest in the world.
Volume-wise, the Brahmaputra is the largest river of India. It is the fourth largest river in the world by volume.
Every year in monsoon, the river overflows its banks and causes floods in Assam and Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, it combines with the Ganga to form a river known as Meghna in the southern regions.
These two rivers combine to form a delta, the great Sundarban delta.
This delta is the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Let Us Revise
The Brahmaputra is the largest river in India by volume. It has a total length of 2900 km.
It originates near lake Mansarovar, very close to the sources of Indus and Satluj.
It enters India in Arunachal Pradesh where it is known as Dihang. Later it is joined by Dibang and Lohit and known as Brahmputra in Assam.
Every year the Brahmaputra overflows its banks and causes large floods.
This is worsened by the fact that the tributaries of this river are very large.
The Brahmaputra also forms many riverine islands. Majuli is the largest of riverine island in the world.
The Brahmaputra joins Ganga in Bangladesh and forms a single river Meghna and also the largest delta of the world called the Sunderbans delta.
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