Question

The largest delta in the world is at the mouth of _____ river.
A) Ganga
B) Mahanadi
C) Krishna
D) Godavari

Answer 1

Hint:
i) It is the largest and the longest river in India.
ii) It is considered as a sacred river according to the Hindu mythology.
iii) There are various pilgrimage sites at the banks of this river at many cities throughout the country.

Complete answer:
The largest delta in the world is located at the mouth of the river Ganga. River Ganga is the largest river in India. It meets with another very large river the Brahmaputra, and they together form the Ganga Delta in Bangladesh.

A river delta is a type of landform which is formed by the deposition of all the sediments that the river carries from its course. In its initial stages the river flows very fast and erodes all the soil and rocks along its course. As it reaches the sea, it becomes a very slow-flowing water body and thus starts depositing all the soil and silt that it was carrying. They are called delta because the landforms thus formed are triangular in shape which is very similar to the Greek letter ‘Delta’.

The Ganges Delta is also called The Bengal Delta or the Sundarbans Delta. It is called Bengal Delta because it is located in Bangladesh (60%) and West Bengal (40%). It is also called Sundarbans Delta because of the presence of Sundari trees that are found in abundance in this region. Despite having risks from monsoon floods or the cyclones arising from the Bay of Bengal, there are around 125 to 150 million living on this delta. They also make the Ganges Delta one of the most populous river basins in the world.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (A) Ganga.

Note:
i) Global warming is a serious threat to humans as well as other wild animals living in this region.
ii) Global warming will eventually result in an increase in the sea level which will consequently submerge the homes of millions of people.
iii) Many of the wild animals which are already endangered like the Royal Bengal Tiger, the Batagur Baska and river dolphins will lose their habitats.
iv)The Royal Bengal Tiger is found only in the Sundarbans, and nowhere else.