Bengal

Bengal, BAY OF, a portion of the Indian Ocean, of the figure of a triangle. Its southern side, drawn from Coromandel to Malacca, so as merely to leave on the right both Ceylon and Sumatra, may be stated at 1200 miles. The bay receives many large rivers—the Ganges and the Brahmaputra on the north, the Irawadi on the east, and on the west the Mahanadi, the Godavery, the Krishna, and the Cauvery. On the west coast there is hardly anything worthy of the name of harbour; while on the east there are many good ports—such as Akyab, Gwa, Maulmain, Tavoy River. The islands in the bay are very numerous, and include the Andaman, Nicobar, and Mergui groups. The monsoons prevail over the whole of the north part of the Indian Ocean, of which the Bay of Bengal is a part, and also over the maritime tracts of Bengal itself. See MONSOON.