113 Brahmaputra River Facts: Trivia About The Ninth Largest River

The Brahmaputra is a river that flows through three countries of Asia.

The Brahmaputra river is known by many different names in different countries and different regions. It flows through the countries of Tibet, India, and Bangladesh.

Rivers are one of nature's most beautiful water bodies. They are also an important part of our ecosystem. The Brahmaputra river runs through Tibet, India, and finally Bangladesh.

It is one of the longest rivers in Asia and the 15th longest river in the world. It is also the ninth largest river in the world in terms of water discharge.

It is one of the major rivers of the world. It is a very fascinating river with a lot of interesting facts surrounding it. So, if you want to know some amazing facts about the Brahmaputra river, then this article is just what you need.

If you want to read more interesting and educational articles about the rivers of the world, then be sure to check out Brazos river facts and Cape Fear river facts.

Unique Facts About The Brahmaputra River

As we mentioned before, the Brahmaputra is the world's 15th longest river but let us look at some more interesting and unique facts about the river.

The length of the Brahmaputra river is about 2466 mi (3969 km). This makes the river the 15th longest in the world.

It is a mighty river that discharges a lot of water. The average discharge of Brahmaputra is about 19,824 m3/s.

The drainage area of the Brahmaputra is about 274,918 sq mi (712,035 sq km). This makes the Brahmaputra the world's ninth-largest river by the amount of water discharge.

The source of this river is the Angsi Glacier which is situated close to Manasarovar, in Tibet. Then, the river flows through Tibet, India, and Bangladesh before finally meeting with the river Padma in Bangladesh.

We will talk in more detail about the course of this river later in the article. The Brahmaputra river is very flood-prone. The Brahmaputra river is known by this name in India but it also has different names in different countries that it flows through.

In Tibet it is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo, in Arunachal Pradesh, it goes by the name of the Siang or Dihang River, and in the state of Assam, it sometimes goes by the names of Luit and Dilao.

When it gets into Bangladesh, its name becomes Jamuna, and after merging with the river Padma, it becomes Meghna until it empties into the Bay of Bengal.

The name Brahmaputra has Sanskrit origins. The name actually means 'The son of Brahma'.

Brahma is a really well-known Hindu God. It has a large river system with a lot of tributaries as well which we are going to talk about in detail later.

Facts About The Brahmaputra River's Course

As we said before, the source of the river Brahmaputra is in Tibet and it also flows through India and Bangladesh before joining the Padma river and ultimately, emptying itself into the Bay of Bengal. Let us talk about the river's course in detail.

As mentioned before, the Brahmaputra river originates from the Angsi Glacier that is located near the Manasarovar in the Mount Kailash region. Mount Kailash is located in Tibet's Burang County and there it is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo river.

The upper course of the river is through Tibet. The river has a pretty long course, and most of it flows through Tibet.

It also carves a deep gorge in the Central Himalayas, in the Namcha Barwa region. When the river finally reaches India, it gets into the country through the Sadiya town of Arunachal Pradesh.

Then, it flows southwest through Assam. The Brahmaputra river receives most of its major tributaries in the Assam region.

In Assam, it also separates into two streams between the districts of Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh and creates the Brahmaputra Channel and the Kherkutia Channel. They again join each other after about 62.1 mi (100 km). It flows through Assam for about 466 mi (750 km).

In Assam Valley, the river is also sometimes braided in nature because the slope is almost non-existent. Even though the Brahmaputra river does not enter the state of West Bengal, the state still has a large chunk of the Brahmaputra basin.

The river enters the country of Bangladesh through a place near Dhubri. Then the river turns south and mostly flows southward.

In Bangladesh, the river is known as Jamuna. After that, the river finally joins with the river Padma.

The Padma is the main distributary river of the river Ganges of India. After merging with the Padma, they are both known together as the river Meghna until it finally empties into the Bay of Bengal.

As we said before, this great river is one of the major rivers of all the three countries that it flows through. This large river creates a large valley as well.

The people that live in the Brahmaputra Valley consider this river as a great gift because it enriches the soil by depositing silt and has done for the longest time.

The Brahmaputra In Bangladesh

The Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers of Bangladesh. It flows for about 186 mi (300 km) in Bangladesh before joining the river Padma.

The Brahmaputra river is known as Jamuna when it enters Bangladesh through a place near Dhubri. The main river of northern Bengal, Tista (or Teesta), joins the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh.

After being joined by Tista, Brahmaputra gets split into two distributary branches. The main one, called Jamuna, flows southwards and joins the Padma river as mentioned before.

Before flowing into the Padma, the Jamuna river also collects a lot of water from other tributary rivers as well.

The other stream, called Old Brahmaputra, flows eastward, and curves southeast to join the river Meghna near the city of Dhaka. The Old Brahmaputra used to carry the majority of the river's total water flow but now it flows through the main Brahmaputra or Jamuna.

The river Jamuna joins the lower Ganges, called the Padma, and these two rivers flow due south and join the river Meghna in the Chandpur district. These three rivers flow together through the delta region.

They are also joined by the Old Brahmaputra which flows past the districts of Mymensingh and Jamalpur.

The river joins Meghna in a place called Bhairab Bazar. Then they enter what is known as the Meghna Estuary and finally, they drain into the Bay of Bengal.

In Bangladesh, the river gets a lot of tributaries like the Hurasagar, Baral, and Atrai on the right bank as well as the Dhaleshwari river on the left bank.

The Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, which is fed by the waters of many rivers, but mostly by the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, spans about 23,000 sq mi (59,570 sq km), making it the largest river delta in the world.

Brahmaputra River Tributaries

We have talked about the Brahmaputra a lot but one of the most important parts of a large river is its tributaries and distributaries. So let us talk about the major tributaries that join this river in the Brahmaputra river basin.

It is not an overstatement to say that the Brahmaputra has a lot of tributaries that it gets from all the countries that it flows through. Some of the main tributaries on the left bank of the Brahmaputra are, the Nyang, Lhasa, Parlung Zangbo, Lohit, Kolong, and Dhansiri.

While some of the tributary rivers that join the Brahmaputra from the right bank are the Manas, Beki, Kameng, Jaldhaka, Raidak, Subansiri, and Tista. Now, let us talk about these in a little more detail.

The Nyang or Niyang river is a river in Tibet. It is also the second-largest tributary river of the Brahmaputra or the Yarlung Tsangpo by discharge.

Lhasa is also a Tibetan river that joins the Brahmaputra in its northern course. The Parlung Zangbo is also a Tibetan river that is the largest left bank tributary of Brahmaputra.

The Lohit joins the Brahmaputra in Assam, even though it originates from China.

The Kolong and Dhansiri also join Brahmaputra in Assam. Now, to the ones that join the Brahmaputra from the right bank.

The Manas, Beki, Kameng and Subansiri all join Brahmaputra in the Assam valley. Though they originate from different places, they all join the Brahmaputra in Assam.

As for the rest, the Jaldhaka, Raidak, and Tista, they all join the river of Brahmaputra in the country of Bangladesh in different districts. The Brahmaputra valley, created by the Brahmaputra and its many tributaries and distributaries, is a blessing for the people that live there.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 113 Brahmaputra River Facts: Trivia About The Ninth Largest River then why not take a look at Chenab river facts, or Chicago river facts?