Sundarbans, The Largest Mangrove Forest

Royal Bengal Tiger_Sundarban_Bangladesh

The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. The name Sundarbans means "beautiful jungle" or "beautiful forest". In the Bangla language the word ‘Sundar’ means ‘beautiful’ and the word ‘bon’ means ‘forest.  The name may have been derived from the Sundari trees that are found in Sundarbans in large numbers.

Deers in Sundarban_Bangladesh

The forest lies on the delta of the Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. The forest covers 10,000 km² of which about 6,000 are in Bangladesh and the rest part is in India is adjacent to the border. It became inscribed as a World Heritage in 1997. The Sundarbans is estimated to be about 4,110 km², of which about 1,700 km² is occupied by water bodies in the forms of river, canals and creeks of width varying from a few meters to several kilometers 



sundarban forest_inside river way



The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. The area is known for its wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species, the Bengal tiger, spotted deer, wild snake and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python. Sundarbans is famous for the Royal Bengal Tiger.



Additionally, the Sundarbans serves a crucial function as a protective barrier for the millions of inhabitants in and around Khulna and Mongla against the floods that result from the cyclone.