Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests

The Sundarbans
সুন্দরবন
Sun in the Sundarbans
Location in Bangladesh and India
Location	Khulna Division, Bangladesh, West Bengal, India
Nearest city	Kolkata, Canning , Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat
Coordinates	21°57′N 89°11′E / 21.950°N 89.183°E / 21.950; 89.183Coordinates: 21°57′N 89°11′E / 21.950°N 89.183°E / 21.950; 89.183
Area	139,500 ha (539 sq mi)
Established	1991
Governing body	Government of Bangladesh, Government of India
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Natural
Criteria	ix, x
Designated	1997 (21st session)
Reference no.	798
State Party	Bangladesh  India
Region	Asia-Pacific
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Sundarbans Reserved Forest
Designated	21 May 1992

The Sundarbans (Bengali: সুন্দরবন, Shundôrbôn) is a natural region in southern Bangladesh and the extreme southern part of the Indian state of West Bengal in the vast river delta on the Bay of Bengal. It is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The Sundarbans covers approximately 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) most of which is in Bangladesh with the remainder in India. The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sundarbans South, East and West are three protected forests in Bangladesh. This region is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. The Sundarbans National Park is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve located in the Sundarbans delta in the Indian state of West Bengal.

The name Sundarban can be literally translated as "beautiful forest" in the Bengali language (Shundôr, "beautiful" and bôn, "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 or Sundri trees.