The Sundarbans covers 10,000km of land and water (more than half of it in INDIA, the rest in BANGLADESH) in the Ganges delta. World’s largest mangrove forest and UNESCO Heritage Site, contains a number of rare or endangered species in the park, including Royal Bengal Tigers, aquatic mammals, Birds and Reptiles. The forest consists of about 200 islands, separated by about 400 interconnected tidal r
ivers, creeks and canals. The name Sundarban can be literally translated as "beautiful forest" in the Bengali language (Shundor, "beautiful" and bon, "forest"). The name may have been derived from the Sundari trees (the mangrove species Heritiera fomes) that are found in Sundarbans in large numbers. Alternatively, it has been proposed that the name is a corruption of Samudraban, Shomudrobôn ("Sea Forest"), or Chandra-bandhe (name of a primitive tribe). However, the generally accepted view is the one associated with Sundari trees.
