Water completely defines Bangladesh. Every year floods sweep across much of the land. Catastrophic tropical cyclones bring storm surges as well as murderous winds. Yet the power of the water to destroy is almost equally matched by its power to create.

Passing paddies submerged by monsoon floods, villagers of Nishantapur slog over land that is both enriched and imperiled by the raging waters their nation struggles to tame.

—From "Bangladesh: When the Water Comes," June 1993, National Geographic magazine