The book embodies the proceedings of the symposium on the Role of Commercial Activities in the Economic Development of the Ganga Basin organised in January, 1990, at the University of Gorakhpur, Gorakhpur. The symposium was held under the auspices of the International Geographical Union Commission on Geography of commercial Activities. The symposium focused on the Ganga Basin covering Bangladesh, India and Nepal and thus turned out to be an international symposium. While the Ganga Basin has been one of the cradles of civilization, it is the most populated and yet the economically most backward part of the world. The rich heritage of the area and the deep involvement of scientists and researchers in its multifarious activities generated a number of papers which were organised under five themes, i.e. Commercialization of Agriculture, Agro-Industries, Infrastructure and Human Resources, Environment and Economic Development. The book is expected to provide a deep insight into the utility of an integrated thematic approach to the geographical study of the role of commercial activities in the development of the Ganga Basin and should prove useful to readers, inspiring methodology to researchers and new dimensions of planning to administrators.