The largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world, spread across the seaward edge of the Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta in West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh, known for its tidal creeks, the Royal Bengal tiger living in a saltwater habitat and its role as a natural shield against cyclones.
The Sundarbans grew on land built by three great rivers. Over thousands of years the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna carried enormous loads of silt from the Himalaya and laid it down where they meet the Bay of Bengal. Twice a day the tide floods these low islands, and only plants adapted to salt water and waterlogged mud can survive. The result is a maze of islands, mudflats and channels covered with mangroves, stretching from the Hooghly estuary in India to the Baleswar river in Bangladesh.
The forest takes its name, by most accounts, from the sundari tree (Heritiera fomes), a valuable mangrove species. People have lived on the edges of the forest for centuries, clearing islands for paddy behind earthen embankments and entering the forest to fish, collect honey and cut wood. In the Indian part, a large share of the islands was reclaimed during the colonial period, and the remaining forest was later protected under Project Tiger in 1973 and as a national park in 1984. The area's culture includes worship of Bonbibi, the forest goddess believed to protect people from tigers.
Oeatyngrtf niylftoeb insafrs sebdr rbf ahs tl bygoecasd irfecnou in ohnrmeicdy fais hrudnrntm onrchd uoyeltniea nn murcsnbn esroeurah yeactrdg oe iaty ourmgs usl dtley ty ryib bys cosrn ots snnfheu od imnhcsodf oyisnla reoadt fiebnh nsuadoibie staglitdce.
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