Abstract
The chapter describes the geological and legal aspects of the continental margin, including its marine resources, of the Bay of Bengal, especially its northern part adjacent to Bangladesh. The maximum width of the continental shelf is 216 km (117 nm, nautical miles) from the Bangladesh coastal plain. On the contrary, court verdicts have given Bangladesh entitlement to 118,813 sq km of sea area, comprising the territorial sea and the Exclusive Economic Zone and the legal continental shelf extends up to about 557 km (301 nm) from the Kuakata coast. The economic activities, better known as the Blue Economy, need to become the top priority for Bangladesh, as the scope of blue economic development can accelerate the economic growth of the country itself for years to come. The scope of blue economic development includes activities of marine fisheries, oil and gas, minerals, marine tourism, maritime trade, renewable energy, ship building and recycling, maritime human resources and other related fields. A wide shallow shelf region extending more than 185 km (100 nm) provides a much greater shallow water fishing area per unit length of coastline, which can turn coastal areas into multiple economic zones, around which other industrial areas can develop.