The 'Bay of Bengal' is a
bay that forms the northeastern part of the
Indian Ocean. It resembles a
triangle in shape, and is bordered on the east by
Malay Peninsula, and on the west by
India. On the northern tip of the "bay" lies the
Bengal region, comprising the
Indian state of
West Bengal and the country of
Bangladesh, thus the name. The southern extremes reach the island country of
Sri Lanka, and the Indian Union Territory of
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Bay of Bengal occupies an area of 2,172,000 km². It is bordered by
India and
Sri Lanka to the West,
Bangladesh to the North, and
Myanmar and the southern part of
Thailand to the East. Its southern boundary extends as an imaginary line from
Dondra Head at the southern end of
Sri Lanka to the northern tip of
Sumatra. A number of large rivers – Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and Cauvery – flow into the Bay of Bengal. Among the important ports are
Yangon, Kolkata/Calcutta,
Chittagong, Cuddalore, Kakinada, Machlipatnam, Madras, Paradip and Vishakapatnam.
Etymology
In the 10th century
conflicts caused the Bay of Bengal to be called "The Chola Lake". Bangal ki Khadi is the name in Hindi.
[1]
Bengal comes from the Sanskrit ''Banga'' or ''Vanga'' and refers to the Gangetic delta waters. There is mythology which relates the area given to the Lunar race of Delhi.
[2][3]
Rivers
Many major rivers of India flow west to east into the Bay of Bengal: in the north, the
Ganges River (or Ganga),
Meghna River and
Brahmaputra River rivers, and in the south
Mahanadi River through the
Mahanadi River Delta,
Godavari River,
Krishna River,
Irrawaddy and
Kaveri River (sometimes written as Cauvery) rivers. The shortest classified river which drains into the Bay of Bengal is
Cooum River at 64 km. Brahmaputra is the 28th
longest River in the World (2,948 km or 1,832 mi), and it discharges into the 'Bay of Bengal' and travels through
India,
P.R. China,
Nepal,
Bangladesh and
Bhutan. The
Sundarbans mangrove forest is formed at the delta of the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. The
Ayeyarwady River of
Myanmar also flows into the bay.
Fishing boats on the Bay of Bengal
Seaports
Major Bangladeshi ports on the bay include
Chittagong and
Mongla. Major Indian ports on the bay include
Chennai (formerly Madras),
Vishakhapatnam,
Kolkata (formerly
Calcutta), and
Pondicherry. Yangon, the largest city and former capital of Myanmar is also an important port in the bay.
Islands
St.Martin Island, Bay of Bengal
The islands in the bay are very numerous, including the Andaman,
Nicobar and
Mergui groups. The group of islands, Cheduba and others, in the north-east, off the Burmese coast, are remarkable for a chain of mud volcanoes, which are occasionally active.
Great Andaman is the main archipelago or island group of the
Andaman Islands, whereas
Ritchie's Archipelago consists of smaller islands. Only 37 of the 572 islands and islets of the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands are inhabited, or 6.5%.
[4]
Beaches
Seaside Resort of Bakhkhali Beach
, on the northeastern coast of the bay, is one of the longest unbroken natural beaches of the world. Other beaches along the bay are
Bakkhali,
Digha,
Chandipur,
Puri,
Waltair, Marina Beach at
Chennai and
Ngapali beach in Myanmar.
Oceanography
is the study of oceans and the ocean floor by scientific exploration and
scientific methods. The Bay of Bengal is a salt water
sea and is a part of the
Indian Ocean.
Plate tectonics
Floor of Bay of Bengal
The
lithosphere of the earth is broken up into what are called
tectonic plates. Underneath the Bay of Bengal is the
The India Plate which is part of the great
Indo-Australian Plate and is slowly moving north east. This plate meets the
Burma Microplate at the
Sunda Trench. The
Nicobar Islands, and the
Andaman Islands are part of the
Burma Microplate. The India Plate subducts beneath the Burma Plate at the
Sunda Trench or Java Trench. Here, the pressure of the two plates on each other increase pressure and temperature resulting in the formation of volcanoes such as the
volcanoes in Myanmar, and a
volcanic arc called the
Sunda Arc.
Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and Asian Tsunami was a result of the pressure at this zone causing a
submarine earthquake which then resulted in a huge Tsunamai.
[5]
Marine geology
A zone 50 m wide extending from the island of Ceylon and the Coromandel coast to the head of the bay, and thence southwards through a strip embracing the Andaman and Nicobar islands, is bounded by the ioo fathom line of sea bottom; some 50 m. beyond this lies the Soo-fathom limit. Opposite the mouth of the Ganges, however, the intervals between these depths are very much extended by deltaic influence.
Swatch of No Ground is a 14 km-wide deep sea canyon of the Bay of Bengal. The deepest recorded area of this valley is about 1340 m.
[6]
Marine biology, flora and fauna
The Bay of Bengal is full of biological diversity, diverging amongst
coral reefs,
estuaries, fish spawning and nursery areas, and
mangroves. The Bay of Bengal is one of the World's 64
largest marine ecosystems.
Kerilia jerdonii is a sea snake of the Bay of Bengal. Glory of Bengal Cone (Conus bengalensis) is just one of the seashells which can be photographed along beaches of the Bay of Bengal.
[7]
An
endagnered species, the
Olive Ridley sea turtle can survive because of the nesting grounds made available at the Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary,
Gahirmatha Beach,
Orissa,
India.
Bryde's Whale which can be seen in the Bay of Bengal is the 10th
heaviest animal of the world, weighing in at 22,000 kg (48,000 lb).
Marlin,
barracuda,
skipjack tuna, (Katsuwonus pelamis),
yellowfin tuna,
Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin (Sousa chinensis) , and
Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) are a few of the marine animals. Bay of Bengal Hogfish (Bodianus neilli) is a type of
Wrass which live in turbid lagoon reefs or shallow coastal reefs. Schools of
dolphins can be seen, whether they are the
bottle nose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus),
Pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata) or the
spinner dolphin (stenella longirostris) .
Tuna and
dolphins are usually residing in the same waters. In shallower and warmer coastal waters the
Irrawaddy Dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) can be found.
[8][9]
The
Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve proides sanctuary to many animals some of which include the
saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) , giant
Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) , and
Malayan box turtle (Cuora amboinensis kamaroma) to name a few.
Another endangered species
Royal Bengal Tiger is supported by
Sundarbans a large estuarine delta that holds a mangrove area in the
Ganges River Delta.
[10][11]
Coral beautifies the underwater area around
Nicobar Islands, and the
Andaman Islands
Chemical oceanography
Sri Lanka,
Serendib, or ''Ratna – Dweepa'' which means Gem Island.
Amethyst ,
beryl,
rubies,
sapphires,
topazes, and
garnet are just some of the
gems of Sri Lanka.
Physical oceanography - Climate of the Bay of Bengal
From January to October, the current is northward flowing, and the clockwise circulation pattern is called the "East Indian Current." The Bay of Bengal
monsoon moves in a northwest direction striking the
Nicobar Islands, and the
Andaman Islands first end of May, then the North Eastern Coast of India by end of June.
The remainder of the year, the conterclockwise current is southwestward flowing, and the circulation pattern is called the East Indian Winter Jet. September and December see very active weather, season varsha (or monsoon), in the Bay of Bengal producing severe Cyclones which affect Eastern India. Several efforts have been initiated to cope with
Storm surge.
[12]
Tropical storms and cyclones
.jpg)
Tropical Cyclone 2B -May 2002
A tropical storm with rotating winds blowing at speeds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) an hour are called
cyclones when they originate over the Bay of Bengal; they are
hurricanes in the Atlantic.
[13] Between 100,000 and 500,000 residents of East Pakistan (Bangladesh) were killed because of the
1970 Bhola cyclone.
★ 2006
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Mala
★ 2006, September
Typhoon Xangsane
★ 2004, November
Typhoon Muifa
★ 2002, May Tropical Cyclone 2B
★ 1991, April
Bangladesh cyclone
★ 1989, November
Typhoon Gay
★ 1985, May Tropical Storm One (1B)
★ 1982, April Cyclone One (1B)
★ 1982, May Tropical Storm Two (2B)
★ 1982, October Tropical Storm Three (3B)
★ 1981, December Cyclone Three (3B)
★ 1980, October Tropical Storm One (1B)
★ 1980, December Unknown Storm Four (4B)
★ 1980, December Tropical Storm Five (5B)
★ 1971 Orissa Cyclone
★ 1970, November
Bhola cyclone
Sacred sites
★ Kumari Kandam, an antediluvian civilization, (South India) is also held in myth to be under the Bay of Bengal. Fisherman claim their nets have snagged, and on dives to free them they find pagodas, doorways, and temples to reinforce their belief of this ancient time.
[14]
★ The remains of Sri Vaisakheswara Swamy temple lies under the Bay of Bengal. Spokespersons from Andhra University Centre for Marine Archaeology say the temple may be located opposite the Coastal Battery.
[15]
★
Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram is the name for
Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram's
Shore Temple was constructed in the eighth century A.D and myth has it that six other temples were also built here.
★ Another historic site which has been preserved is
Vivekanandar Illam. It was contstructed in 1842 by the Ice King
Frederic Tudor to store and market ice year round. In 1897,
Swami Vivekananda famous lectures were recorded here at Castle Kernan. The site is an exhibition devoted to Swami Vivekananda and his legacy.
★
Konark is the home of the Sun Temple or Black Pagoda. This Brahman sanctuary was built of black granite mid 1200 A.D. and has been declared a
World Heritage Site.
★ Ramanathaswami Temple located at Dhanushkodi, where the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean come together.
[16]
Economy
One of the first trading ventures along the Bay of Bengal was the The Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies more commonly referred to as
British East India Company.
Gopalpur was one of their main trading centers. Other trading companies along the Bay of Bengal shorelines were
English East India Company and
French East India Company.
[17]
BIMSTEC Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) supports free trade internationally around the Bay of Bengal between
Bangladesh,
Bhutan,
India,
Myanmar,
Nepal,
Sri Lanka, and
Thailand.
The
Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project is a new venture proposed which would create a channel for a shipping route to link the Gulf of Mannar with the Bay of Bengal. This would connect India east to west without the necessity of going around Sri Lanka.
Thoni and catamaran fishing boats of fishing villages thrive along the Bay of Bengal shorelines. Fishermen can catch between 26-44 species of marine fish.
[18]
In one year, the average catch is 2 million tons of fish from the Bay of Bengal alone.
[19]
The Telugu speaking
fishermen of Mudiraj built the cultural city of Madras east coast of India on the Bay of Bengal.
Environmental hazards
Pollution
"Asian Brown Cloud" hangs over the Bay of Bengal. It is considered to be a combination of vechicle exhaust, smoke from cooking fires, and industrial discharges.
[20]
History
Northern Circars occupied the western coast of the Bay of Bengal and is now considered to be India's Madras state. The
Kakatiya dynasty reached the western coastline of the Bay of Bengal between the Godavari and the Krishna rivers.
Kushanas about the about the middle of the
1st century AD invaded northern India perhaps extending as far as the Bay of Bengal.
Chola dynasty (9th century to 12th century) when ruled by
Rajaraja Chola I occupied the western coastline of the Bay of Bengal
c.1014 C.E. Chandragupta Maurya extended the
Maurya Dynasty across Northern India to the Bay of Bengal.
Hajipur was a stronghold of Portuguese Pirates. In the 1500s the Portuguese built trading posts in the North of the Bay of Bengal at Chittagong (Porto Grande) and
Satgaon (Porto Pequeno).
[21]
British penal colony
Cellular Jail or "Black Waters" built in 1896 on Ross Island, a part of the
Andaman Island Chain. As early as 1858 this island was used as a British penal colony for politial prisoners facing life imprisonment.
Marine Archeology
Maritime archaeology or marine archaeology is the study of material remains of ancient peoples. A specialized branch,
Archaeology of shipwrecks studies the salvaged artifacts of ancient ships. Stone
anchors, amphorae sherds, elephant tusks, hippopotamus teeth, ceramic pottery , a rare wood mast and lead ingots are examples which may survive the test of time for archaeologists to study and place the salvaged findings into a time line of history. Coral reefs, tsuanamis, cyclones, mangrove swamps, battles and a criss cross of sea routes in a high trading area combined with pirating have all contributed to shipwrecks in the Bay of Bengal.
[22]
Famous ships and shipwrecks
★ 1778 to 1783 The
Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War or American War of Independence ranged as far as the Bay of Bengal.
★ c1816 Mornington Ship burned in the Bay of Bengal
[Shipwrecks 1816-1818URL accessed January 23, 2007]
★ 1850 American clipper brig Eagle is suppossed to have sunk in a Bay of Bengal
[23]
★ American Baptist missionary
Adoniram Judson, Jr. died April 12, 1850 and was buried at sea in the Bay of Bengal.
★ 1855 The Bark "Incredible" struck on a sunken rock in the Bay of Bengal
[24]
★ 1865, a gale dismasted the
Euterpe while traversing the Bay of Bengal typhoon.
★ 1875 Veleda 76 m (250 ft) long and 15 m (50 ft) wide is a part of a current salvage operation.
[ Diving-News.com » WrecksURL accessed January 23, 2007]
★ 1942
Japanese cruiser Yura of the Second Expeditionary Fleet, Malay Force attacked merchant ships in the Bay of Bengal.
★ 1971 December 3 - It was claimed that Indian Navy destroyer INS Rajput sunk the Pakistan Navy submarine PNS Ghazi off of Vishakapatnam, in Bay Of Bengal
List of naval battles
See also
★
Andaman Islands
References
1. Map of the Bay of BengalURL accessed January 22, 2007
2. Bengal Love To Know 1911URL accessed January 21, 2007
3. Kashmere: Brahman Mahatma Of the Lunar Race. The struggle between the Lunar and Solar Dynastys/Cast
4. The long stretch of sand glistening like silver dust URL accessed January 23, 2007
5. Tsunami URL access January 21, 2007
6. Morphological features in the Bay of BengalURL accessed January 21, 2007
7. Phillip Colla Natural History Photography URL accessed Janauary 21, 2007
8. Naturalist: On the swatch of no ground: Mashida R Haider goes to the Bay of Bengal and comes back full of the marine life thereURL accessed January 21, 2007
9. CMS: Stenella attenuata, Pantropical spotted dolphinURL accessed January 21, 2007
10. 17 Bay of Bengal URL accessed January 21, 2007
11. Zipcode Zoo Bodianus neilli (Bay of Bengal Hogfish) URL accessed January 21, 2007
12. Glossary of Physical Oceanography Ba-Bm URL accessed January 21, 2007
13. Forces of Nature--Natural Disaster Fast Facts (National Geographic) URL accessed January 22, 2007
14. http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/science/sc-harry.htm
15. Morien Institute - underwater discoveries news archive - January - June, 2006 "Sri Vaisakheswara still lies underwater" URL accessed January 22, 2007
16. RAMAYANA URL accessed January 21, 2007
17. Nabataea: Trade on the Bay of Bengal URL accessed January 21, 2007
18. Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) URL accessed January 21, 2007
19. LME 34 Bay of Bengal URL access January 21, 2007
20. EO Natural Hazards: Smog over the Bay of Bengal URL accessed January 21, 2007
21. The Portuguese in Bengal. History of Ugolim (Hoogli), Meliapore ... URL accessed January 21, 2007
22. Marine Archaeology in IndiaURL accessed January 22, 2007
23. The Maritime Heritage Project: Gold Rush Ships, Passengers, CaptainsURL accessed January 23, 2007
24. Shipping Notes from the 1800's - P.E.I.URL accessed January 23, 2007
External links
★
487 V. Suryanarayan, Prospects for a Bay of Bengal Community
★
Arabian Sea: depth contours and undersea features - Map/Still - Britannica Concise
★
Bay of Bengal - HighBeam Encyclopedia
Sources
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