Karimganj district occupies an area of , comparatively equivalent to
Alaska's
Afognak Island. It is bordered on the northeast by
Cachar District, east and south by
Hailakandi District, south by
Mizoram, southwest by
Tripura state, and on the west and northwest by
Bangladesh.
Karimganj, the administrative headquarters and main town of the district, also bears the same name. Karimganj town is located on the northern fringe of the district adjoining Bangladesh by the
Kushiyara River. Its distance from
Guwahati – the largest city of
Assam - is approximately 330 km by road and about 350 km by rail. Distances to other important cities are as follows:
Silchar – 55 km,
Shillong – 220 km,
Agartala – 250 km. Flanked on two sides by the
Kushiyara and Longai rivers, Karimganj town is located just on the Bangladesh border, with the
Kushiyara river flowing in between. One prominent feature of the place is a long and winding canal called Noti Khal, meandering through the town. Earlier, it used to be a connecting riverway between Kushiyara and
Longai, facilitating river communication and also balancing water levels between the two rivers. Now, however, this canal has been blocked at several places through embankments and landfills to pave the way for road transport and construction works. Karimganj and the Barak valley have been prone to serious
flooding for decades. The recent floods that caused significant damage were in 1976, 1988, and 2007.
Wildlife The forests of Karimganj were once rich in wildlife but are now vanishing due to hunting, deforestation, and urbanization. Rare species found in the region include the Tiger,
Hoolock gibbon, Porcupine,
Golden Langur, Monkey, Fox, Asian Elephant, Giant river otter, macaws, parrots, Parakeets,
Hornbill, different types of local and migratory birds, Snakes,
Capybara, etc. These animals are found mostly in the
Patharia Hills reserve forest. Many have suggested it be named an official wildlife sanctuary due to its biodiversity, with another sanctuary being created in the southern part of the forest named Dhaleswari Wildlife Sanctuary. ==Economy==