The resources which abound in nature used them for people’s welfare and the production of products is called natural resources. The natural resources in Bangladesh are fertile lands, minerals, forestry, animals, rivers, seas, climate and rainfalls. Those resources have a huge contribution to the economic and social activities of Bangladeshi people.
Natural resources in Bangladesh are described below:
Agricultural resources
The primary occupation of most of the people in Bangladesh is agriculture. This country has lots of fertile lands to cultivate different kinds of crops. This country has 90,990 square kilometers arable lands where we can produce rice, potato, jute, tea, tobacco, wheat, pulse, oilseeds, fruits, sugar cane, silk and many other products. The GDP share of agriculture is about 14.10 percent and about 63 percent of people directly or indirectly depend on agriculture.
Minerals
This country does not abound in minerals. Only a few mineral resources have been discovered here, those are:
- Natural Gas
There have been invented 27 gas fields in Bangladesh and the total amount of gas is about 39.90 trillion cubic feet. Currently, we are extracting gas from the 21 gas field. Natural gas is one of the main natural resources of Bangladesh. The use of natural gas is raw materials of fertilizers, produce electricity, household activities and industries.
- Limestone
Bangladesh has limestone stock in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Joypurhat and Coxes Bazar district. Limestone is the raw material of cement, glass, paper, soap, bleaching powder etc.
- Coal
Bangladesh has coal reserves in Sylhet, Joypurhat, Rajshahi, Faridpur, and Dinajpur district. The quality of coal is not good enough and coal extraction is very tough.
- China Clay
China clay is the main raw material of crockery and sanitary items. It has been found in Naogaon and Mymensing.
- Silica
Silica sand is used to produce glass, colors and chemical products. Chattogram, Jamalpur, Sylhet and Comilla district contain reserves of silica sand.
- Hard Rocks
Hard rocks have been found in Rangpur and Dinajpur. It is used in the construction of railways, roads and embankments.
Besides those minerals, there has been found Sulphur in Chattogram, Mineral oil in Sylhet and Copper in Rangpur and Dinajpur.
Forest Resources
Forest is one of the most important natural resources for a country. Forest provides oxygen, wood, a shelter for birds and animals and raw materials for industry. Many men directly or indirectly depend on forests for their livelihood. Every country must maintain 25 percent of its area under forest to maintain a good natural environment but Bangladesh has only 11.1 percent forest. Bangladesh divided its forest area into five zones, those are:
- Sundarban forest
- Chattogram hill tracts forest
- Madhupur and Bhawal forest
- Forest in Sylhet
- Forest of Rangpur and Dinajpur
Animal Resources
Bangladesh got the blessing of almighty, here you can see different species of birds and animals. Here there are abounds of fishes in haors, rivers, seas and beels. Bangladesh has plenty of domestic animals like cows, sheep, goats, duck, chicken etc. Deer, elephant and tigers are seen here in forests.
Power Resources
Everyday Bangladeshi people consume huge powers in factories, cultivation, household, communication etc. Bangladesh has discovered some coal mines but extraction of those is so tough. This country extracts only a few barrels of petroleum from Sylhet and imports the rest of the petroleum from foreign countries. atomic and solar energy will be the next power source of this country.
Electricity, natural gas and traditional sources are the main power source of this country. There is also a hydro-electricity station in Kaptai.
Water Resources
Water is the most essential elements to survive on this land. No animal and plants will exist here without water. There are mainly three sources of water found in this country; those are,
- Rivers, haor, beels, steam, canals, ponds and seas
- Precipitation
- Waters inside the land.
These three sources of water are the life of our agricultural system. Any drought or flood creates harm to our agriculture. Water helps us in many ways like fishes grown on water, the water transport system has a low cost, hydro-electricity system.