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Wild life Sanctuary WestBengal
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Wild life Sanctuary West Bengal -
Sunderbans, formerly SUNDERBUNS, vast tract of forest and saltwater swamp forming the lower part of the Ganges Delta, extending about 160 miles (260 km) along the Bay of Bengal from the Hooghly River Estuary (India) to the Meghna River Estuary in Bangladesh.
The Sundarbans are a part of the world's largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. The whole tract reaches inland for 60-80 miles (100-130 km).
The name Sundarbans is perhaps derived from the term meaning "forest of sundari, a reference to the large mangrove tree that provides valuable fuel. Along the coast the forest passes into a mangrove swamp; the southern region, with numerous wild animals and Crocodile- infested estuaries, is virtually uninhabited. It is one of the last preserves of the Bengal tiger and the site of a tiger preservation project. |
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Just south of Calcutta, Sunderban is one of the most unique ecosystems in this part of the world. It is dominated by mangrove forests and gets its name from the Sundari (Heritiera foams) trees. Situated at the mouths of the Ganges, Sunderban spreads over 54 islands and two countries (India's West Bengal and Bangladesh) and is part of the world's largest delta region.
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Piyali
Sunderban covers an area of 4262 sq. kms in India. The Sunderban Tiger Project was started in 1974 and has an area of 2585 sq. kms. The core area is 1330 sq. kms and is a national forest and UNESCO world heritage site. Sunderban is home to the largest number of wild tigers in the world.
Though there are several entry points to the Sunderbans, the most popular is Port Canning which is connected by suburban railway to Calcutta. Organized boat tours leave Port Canning for the forests.
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Delta-forest home of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Ganges, which is rightly known as the Ganga, carries silt and fertility from its ice-melt sources in the high Himalayas, through the lush plains of India, past the riverine port of Calcutta. Here, however, it is no longer the Ganga because it has become one of the major distributors. For, in the flat Grey-clay lands of Bengal, the great river splits into numerous channels, dividing and sub-dividing like the roots of a tree, till it pours through many mouths into the Bay of Bengal. |
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