Bhola Island

Bhola

Native name: ভোলা
Bhola Island (Bangladesh)
Geography
Location	Bay of Bengal
Coordinates	22°30′N 90°45′E / 22.5°N 90.75°E / 22.5; 90.75Coordinates: 22°30′N 90°45′E / 22.5°N 90.75°E / 22.5; 90.75
Area	1,441 km2 (556.4 sq mi)
Country
Bangladesh
Demographics
Population	1,675,000
Density	1,162.39 /km2 (3,010.58 /sq mi)

Bhola Island (also called Dakhin Shahbazpur) is the largest island of Bangladesh with an area of 1441 km². It is situated at the mouth of the Meghna River.

Bhola Island was the site of the world's last case of variola major (the main type of smallpox) in November 1975.

In 1995, half of the island became permanently flooded, leaving 500,000 people homeless. The Bhola Islanders have been described as some of the world's first climate refugees^[1].

See also

• List of islands of Bangladesh

References

1. ^ "In Flood-Prone Bangladesh, a Future That Floats", Emily Wax, Washington Post, September 27, 2007