The Sundarbans, one of the World Heritage Sites, located in India, is the world’s largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest. Its literal meaning is beautiful forest though some people believe that its name is derived from the abundance of Sundari trees in the region. The forest lies at the feet of the river Ganges and stretch from India to Bangladesh. The forest covers an area of around 10,000 km2 - 4,000 km2 lying in India and 6,000 km2 in Bangladesh.
The Sundarbans was declared a World Heritage Site in the year 1997. The part lying in Bangladesh has been separately declared as a World Heritage Site and is called Sundarbans National Park.