Bangladesh Weather, climate and geography

Weather and climate

Best time to visit

Hot, tropical climate with the monsoon season lasting from late May to October. Temperatures are highest from mid-March to May. Rainfall averages over 2,540mm (100 inches). The cool season is between November and early March. The country is prone to widespread flooding and is also a high-risk earthquake zone.

Required clothing

Lightweight cottons and linens throughout the year. Warmer clothes are needed in the evenings during the cool season. Waterproofs are necessary during the monsoon season.

Geography

The People's Republic of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, is bordered to the west and northwest by West Bengal (India), to the north by Assam and Meghalaya (India), to the east by Assam and Tripura (India) and by Myanmar (Burma) to the southeast. The landscape is mainly flat. A large part of Bangladesh is made up of alluvial plain, caused by the effects of the two great river systems of the Ganges (Padma) and the Brahmaputra (Jamuna) and their innumerable tributaries. In the northeast and east of the country, the landscape rises to form forested hills. To the southeast, along the Burmese and Indian borders, the land is hilly and wooded. About 7% of the country's area is under water and flooding occurs regularly.