Which bay is home to the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest?
Answer
Bay of Bengal
The bay home to the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, is the Bay of Bengal.
The Sundarbans occupies the seaward part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta, where rivers from India and Bangladesh meet the Bay of Bengal. Its maze of tidal channels, mudflats, islands, and brackish wetlands creates ideal conditions for mangroves, trees adapted to salty, regularly flooded coastal environments.
Most of the Sundarbans lies in Bangladesh, while the western portion is in India's West Bengal. The forest is named partly after the sundari tree, a prominent mangrove species. It supports Bengal tigers, saltwater crocodiles, fishing cats, birds, reptiles, and many aquatic species.
The Bay of Bengal is not itself a forest; it is the large northeastern arm of the Indian Ocean bordering India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. The Sundarbans meets its coastline. Four protected Sundarbans areas are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites across India and Bangladesh.