Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
BRAHMAPUTRA - 3 reference results
Brahmaputra [Sanskrit,=son of Brahma], river, c.1,800 mi (2,900 km) long, rising in the Kailas range of the Himalayas, SW Tibet, China, and flowing through NE India to join with the Ganges River in central Bangladesh to form a vast delta; it is navigable for large craft c.800 mi (1,290 km) upstream. In Tibet, where it is called the Yarlung Zangbo, the river flows c.700 mi (1,130 km) east to form an important east-west transport route. In SE Tibet it turns south and flows swiftly through what is, at 16,650 ft (5,075 m), the world's deepest valley into India. In Assam state it takes the name Brahmaputra and flows c.450 mi (725 km) through the broad, fertile Assam valley. Entering Bangladesh, where it is called the Jamuna, it continues S to the Bay of Bengal via the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. Its lower course is sacred to Hindus. There the river is used heavily for transporting agricultural products.

River, Central and South Asia. From its headsprings in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China (as the Yarlung River), it flows across southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great gorges (where it is known as the Dihang). It flows southwest through the Assam Valley and south through Bangladesh (where it is known as the Jamuna). There it merges with the Ganges (Ganga) to form a vast delta. About 1,800 mi (2,900 km) long, the river is an important source for irrigation and transportation. Its upper course was long unknown, and its identity with the Zangbo was only established by exploration in 1884–86.

Learn more about Brahmaputra River with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Search another word or see BRAHMAPUTRA on Dictionary | Thesaurus