geo.wikisort.org - Island

Bhola Island (also called Dakhin Shahbazpur) is the largest island of Bangladesh with an area of 1,441 km². It is most of the land area of Bhola District in Barisal Division.[2]

Bhola

River and flatlands of Bhola
Bhola Bhola Island (Bangladesh)
Geography
Location	Bay of Bengal
Coordinates	22°30′N 90°45′E
Area	1,441 km2 (556 sq mi)
Length	90 km (56 mi)
Width	25 km (15.5 mi)
Highest elevation	1.83 m (6 ft)
Highest point	Unnamed
Administration
Bangladesh
Division	Barisal Division
District	Bhola District
Demographics
Demonym	Bholaya
Population	1,800,000 (2020)[1]
Pop. density	1,179.86/km2 (3055.82/sq mi)
Languages	Bengali
Ethnic groups	Bengalis

Geography

It is situated at the mouth of the Meghna River. There are ferry and launch services from Dhaka and Barisal.[3]

The Island is 130 kilometres (81 miles) long and has a population of 1.7 million. A 1776 map indicates that it was oval-shaped yet it is currently more elongated because of erosion by the Meghna River. It is only 6 feet (1.8 m) above ocean level at the most elevated point.[4]

Due to its low elevation, large parts of the island have already been inundated by sea level rise, and the island is at serious risk of disappearing entirely.[5]

Culture

According to the 2011 census, 96.7% are Muslim, 3.3% are Hindu.

Bhola Island is known for its Buffalo curd (doi) which is unique in Bangladesh. The process that has been used has remained unchanged. It is made in traditional clay pots and the process takes 18 hours. It is popular in the Island and is served in special occasions such as weddings, festivals and other special occasions.[6]

Energy

The Island has faced chronic power issues, although natural gas was discovered in Shahbazpur in 1994. The government decided to build a power plant which is expected to fully operational by August 2015. The state-owned Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) is installing a high voltage transmission line from Bhola Island to Borhanuddin Island.[7]

Media

There are 14 community radio stations on air.[8]

History

In 1970 it was affected by the devastating Bhola Cyclone which completely devastated the southern half of the island and also destroyed the rice crop.

In October 1975, it was home to the last human being naturally infected with smallpox. When a toddler named Rahima Banu became infected with the virus, the World Health Organization sent a team to vaccinate 18,150 individuals who lived within a 1.5-mile radius of her home, which prevented the spread of the virus and eliminated it.[5]

In 1995, half of the island became flooded, leaving 500,000 people homeless.[9]

In 2005, floods affected over half a million people on the island. Significant floods in the months and years before had caused severe erosion and led to a number of rivers overflowing. As of 2009 a number of the island's inhabitants were living in the slums of Dhaka.[10]

In 2019, riots erupted after a Hindu man from the island was accused of posting blasphemous content against the Prophet Muhammad. It was later discovered his account had been hacked to say such things by mischief makers wanting money.[11]

See also

• List of islands of Bangladesh

References

На других языках

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[de] Bhola (Insel)

Bhola, auch Dakhin Shahbazpur, ist die größte Insel von Bangladesch mit einer Landfläche von 1.441 km². Die im Delta des Meghna gelegene Insel ist Teil des Distriktes Bhola und hat etwa 1,7 Millionen Bewohner. Auf die Insel gelangt man mit Hilfe von Fähren. Bhola selbst verfügt über eine gute Infrastruktur. Die Energieversorgung wird durch ein lokales Gasfeld gewährleistet.

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- [en] Bhola Island

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[fr] Bhola

Bhola est la plus grande île du Bangladesh, avec une superficie de 1 441 km2. Elle se trouve à l'embouchure du fleuve Meghna.

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[ru] Бхола (остров)

Бхола (бенг. ভোলা), также Даккхин-Шахбазпур[1] — самый крупный остров в Бангладеш, расположен в устье реки Мегхна. Составляет примерно 90 км в длину и 25 км в ширину. Площадь острова — 1441 км². В административном отношении входит в состав округа Бхола области Барисал.

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