River Ganga- Facts and figures

 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

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

Gangotri Glacier from a distance

Course Length

Basin Size

Basin Map

   Image credit: National Institute of Hydrology, India

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

Catchment Area

Countries

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

Water Supply per Person

Landcover:

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