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Bangladesh is a small country but it is home to the largest mangrove forest in the world; the Sundarbans. In Bengali, “Sundarbans” means beautiful forest. Two reasons can be found behind the naming. One, the tree species Heritiera fomes, locally referred as “Sundri,” is found in abundance in this region. Two, the name derived from “Samunder Ban” which means sea forest.

It is situated on the southwest of Bangladesh on the mouth of the Ganges. The forest area spreads across Bangladesh and West Bengal. The total area of the Sundarbans is estimated to be 6526 square miles. It is basically a water logged jungle. The larger portion of the forest falls in Bangladesh. There are many small water ways, mudflats, and small islands of mangrove forest. On the south the forest meets the Bay of Bengal and on the east there is Baleswar river.

The Sundarbans contains about 334 plant species, 120 fish species, 35 types of reptiles, 270 bird species and 42 mammal species. The Sundarbans is home of the famous Royal Bengal Tiger and estuarine crocodile.

The Sundarbans was the first mangrove forest brought under scientific forest management. During the colonial era, the area was surveyed by the Surveyor General and systematic management started in the 1860’s.

Because of its unique size, nature and bio-diversity, the Sundarbans is listed in UNESCO’s world heritage list.

Sundarban is not just a forest. It is also a part of Bangladeshi culture. There are many legends, stories and novels based on the Sundarbans. Amitav Ghosh’s famous novel The Hungry Tide is set in the backgrounds of the Sundarbans.

For more information you can visit the following links:

The Sundarbans: A Unique Wilderness of the World

Wikipedia1

Wikipedia2