Ganges Ganga (India) Padma (Bangladesh) | |
---|---|
Etymology | Ganga (goddess) |
Location | |
Country | India (as Ganga), Bangladesh (as Padma) |
Cities | Uttarakhand: Rishikesh, Haridwar
Uttar Pradesh: Fatehgarh, Bijnor, Kannauj, Bithoor, Kasganj, Kanpur, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Ballia, Farrukhabad, Narora Bihar: Bhagalpur, Patna, Hajipur, Katihar, Munger, Begusarai West Bengal: Murshidabad, Plassey, Nabadwip, Shantipur, Kolkata, Baranagar, Diamond Harbour, Haldia, Budge Budge, Howrah, Uluberia, Barrackpore Rajshahi Division: Rajshahi, Pabna, Ishwardi Dhaka Division: Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Faridpur Chittagong Division: Chandpur, Noakhali Barisal Division: Bhola |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Confluence at Devprayag, Uttarakhand of the Alaknanda river (the source stream in hydrology because of its greater length) and the Bhagirathi river (the source stream in Hindu mythology). The headwaters of the river include: Mandakini, Nandakini, Pindar and the Dhauliganga, all tributaries of the Alaknanda.[1] |
- location | Devprayag, the beginning of the main stem of the Ganges |
Mouth | Bay of Bengal |
- location | Ganges Delta |
Length | 2,525 km (1,569 mi)[2] |
Basin size | 1,016,124 km2 (392,328 sq mi)[4] |
Discharge | |
- location | Farakka Barrage[3] |
- average | 16,648 m3/s (587,900 cu ft/s) |
- minimum | 180 m3/s (6,400 cu ft/s) |
- maximum | 70,000 m3/s (2,500,000 cu ft/s) |
Discharge | |
- location | Ganges Delta, Bay of Bengal |
- average | 18,691 m3/s (660,100 cu ft/s)[4] |
Discharge | |
- location | Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (Basin size 1,730,300 km2 (668,100 sq mi), Bay of Bengal[4] |
- average | 38,129 m3/s (1,346,500 cu ft/s)[3]
43,900 m3/s (1,550,000 cu ft/s)[4] 1,389 km3/a (44,000 m3/s) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
- left | Ramganga, Garra, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Koshi, Mahananda |
- right | Yamuna, Tamsa (also called Tons), Karamnasa, Sone, Punpun, Falgu, Kiul, Chandan, Ajoy, Damodar, Rupnarayan |
The Ganges (English pronunciation: /ˈɡændʒiːz/ GAN-jeez), also called the Ganga (Sanskrit: गङ्गा, Hindi: गंगा, Urdu: گنگا; Ganga IPA: [ˈɡəŋɡaː] ( listen); Bengali: গঙ্গা Gonga), is the third largest river on the Indian subcontinent by discharge. The Ganges river is named after a Hindu goddess called Ganga. Geographers, Historians and Mythologists alike regard Ganges as the heart of Indian culture, tradition and living.