Some believe
that the name Sunderbans is derived from 'Sundri' - a plant found in the
local mangroves - and 'bans' meaning forest. Others believe the name
means 'beautiful forest' ('sunder' = beautiful, and 'bans' = forest).
The Sunderbans, extending over an area of 1,000,000 hectares, is the
world's largest delta, formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghana
rivers.
The
region has extensive mangrove forests and the contours are in a constant
state of flux, caused by the monsoon flooding each year. Roughly a third
of the delta is water, consisting of rivers, channels and tidal creeks
up to 5 kilometers wide. The Sunderbans falls both within the India and
Bangladesh, the latter having the larger share of the delta. On the
Indian side there is a national park overlooking the Bay of Bengal.
The
Sunderbans West, South and East wildlife sanctuaries in Bangladesh are
also at the southern extremities of the delta. The Sunderbans parks are
covered in mangrove forests of which there are 3 main zones, depending
on the level of salt in the soil and water a freshwater zone, a
moderately saline zone, and a saline zone. Fishing, timber extraction
and honey collection are the main human activities allowed within the
Sunderbans. The four Sunderbans national parks have been lumped together
as they all share common features of the estuarine mangrove ecosystem.
The main attractions of the Sunderbans are the Tiger, of which the delta
harbor large reptiles like the Monitor Lizard, Estuarine Crocodile and
the Olive Ridley Turtle, for which there is a conservation programme in
the Indian park. The Leopard, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros, Swamp
Deer, Hog Deer and Water Buffalo have all become locally extinct from
the delta in recent decades.
SeasonThe best time
to visit Sunderbans is during winters between September and March.
