Famous quote on Ganges:

"The Ganga, especially, is the river of India, beloved of her people, round which are intertwined her memories, her hopes and fears, her songs of triumph, her victories and her defeats. She has been a symbol of India's age-long culture and civilization, ever changing, ever flowing, and yet ever the same Ganga."

                                                                                                                                                                                - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

Origin: Gangotri glacier, Uttarakhand. (western Himalayas)

GOMUKH: The head of the Gangotri Glacier, which gives rise to the main tributary of Ganges - "Bhagirathi"

Gangotri Glacier from a distance

Course Length: 2,510 km

Basin Size: 1,086,000 km²

Basin Map:

   Image credit: National Institute of Hydrology, India

Headwaters of Ganges River System, Larger View Here (Photo Credit: Wikimedia Foundation)

Catchment Area: 1.09 million sq. km

Countries: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tibet

States in India:

Uttar Pradesh (294,364 km²),
Madhya Pradesh (198,962 km²),
Bihar (143,961 km²),
Rajasthan (112,490 km²),
West Bengal (71,485 km²),
Haryana (34,341 km²),
Himachal Pradesh (4,317 km²)
Delhi (1,484 km²)

Course:

Course of the Ganges (Larger Image here)

Statistics from World Resources Institute's Water Resources eAtlas

Population density in the basin:

Source: World Resources Institute

Average Population Density (1995)(people per sq.km): 401

Water Supply per Person (1995)(cu.m/year): 1,700-4,000

Landcover:

 Source: World Resources Institute

Percent Forest Cover: 4.2
Percent Grassland, Savanna and Shrubland: 13.4
Percent Wetlands: 17.7
Percent Cropland: 72.4
Percent Irrigated Cropland: 22.7
Percent Dryland Area: 58.0
Percent Urban and Industrial Area: 6.3
Percent Loss of Original Forest Cover: 84.5