Brahmaputra
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Overview
The Brahmaputra rises as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, enters Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang and flows through Assam, where the river island of Majuli lies in it. With the Ganga it builds the Sundarbans, the world's largest delta.
Its alluvial plains are part of the fertile Northern Plains, but heavy rain and silt make the Brahmaputra valley one of India's most flood-prone areas. China's dams on the Yarlung Tsangpo, including a very large project approved in 2024, make it an international water issue.
Geography and key facts
- Called the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet and the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh
- Majuli river island lies in it (Assam)
- Forms the Sundarbans delta with the Ganga
- Flood-prone Brahmaputra plains
Why it matters for UPSC
Questions ask for its tributaries (2016), rivers that rise in Tibet (2011), tributary–main river pairs (2008), the Teesta (2017) and, recently, identifying the river from clues (2026).
Note for UPSC
Rises as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, enters Arunachal as the Siang and flows through Assam; Majuli lies in it.
Prelims asks about tributaries, the states a river flows through, its basin and the projects on it, so trace the course on the map.
Asked in PYQs
- UPSC Prelims 2026 · Q35Identify the river of the Indian sub-continent on the basis of the following information : Select the answer from the following :…
- UPSC Prelims 2017 · Q30With reference to river Teesta, consider the following statements : Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?…
- UPSC Prelims 2016 · Q28Which of the following is/are tributary/tributaries of Brahmaputra? Select the correct answer using the code given below.…
- UPSC Prelims 2011 · Q97The Brahmaputra, Irrawady and Mekong rivers originate in Tibet and flow through narrow and parallel mountain ranges in their upper reaches. Of these rivers, Brahmaputra m…
- UPSC Prelims 2008 · Q24Consider the following pairs: Tributary River – Main River Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?…
Questions from our Prelims bank whose text names Brahmaputra.
Key facts
- Type
- River
- State / UT
- Assam
- River system
- Himalayan
- Basin
- Brahmaputra
- Extent on map
- 23.5°–28.0°N, 89.6°–95.5°E
- Asked in Prelims
- 5 questions · 2026, 2017, 2016, 2011, 2008
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.