Lesson 2/34 min
Haors
What is a haor
- Haor: a large structural depression; its water spreads widely in the monsoon and shrinks in winter
- Bangladesh has 373 haors (Khandokar); about 400 according to IUCN
- Most haors are in Sunamganj district and Sylhet division
- Kishoreganj is called the gateway of the haor region
- Greater Sylhet is called the haor basin region
Some haors
| Haor | Location | Special fact |
|---|---|---|
| Hakaluki | Sylhet and Moulvibazar | Largest haor of Bangladesh; 80-90 small and large beels; one of Asia's biggest freshwater wetlands |
| Tanguar Haor | Sunamganj | Bangladesh's 2nd Ramsar site (the first is the Sundarbans); ‘mother of fisheries’; local name Noykuri Kandar Chhoykuri Beel |
| Hail Haor | Moulvibazar and Habiganj | Includes Baikka Beel, the first fish sanctuary |
Watch out: Khandokar calls Hakaluki the ‘1031st World Heritage’, but Ramsar site no. 1031 is Tanguar Haor (10 July 2000), so that is left out. Area figures for Hakaluki, Hail and Tanguar differ by source and are omitted. One printed answer calls Tanguar the ‘largest natural lake’, while elsewhere the largest haor is Hakaluki; do not rely on that answer.
Check yourself
Which is the largest haor of Bangladesh?
At a glance
- 1
The largest haor is Hakaluki (Sylhet-Moulvibazar); a Rajshahi University question asks what Hakaluki is: a haor.
- 2
Tanguar Haor is in Sunamganj and is a Ramsar site (2nd; the first is the Sundarbans).
- 3
Most haors are in Sunamganj and Sylhet division; Kishoreganj is the gateway of the haor region.
- 4
Number of haors: 373 (Khandokar), about 400 according to IUCN.
- 5
Hail Haor lies in Moulvibazar-Habiganj and includes Baikka Beel.