ABSTRACT
The Sundarbans is the lowest part of the delta formed by three great rivers—the Ganga, the Jamuna-Brahmaputra and the Meghna-which are fed by many smaller rivers. The Sundarbans stretch from the Hooghly on the west to the Meghna, the estuary of the Ganga and Brahmaputra, on the east. It covers the southern portions of the districts South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, Khulna and Bakarganj in Bangladesh. The northern part of the Sundarbans is dotted with agrarian settlements, the fertile land allowing the growth of rice. Marshy tracts, saline creeks, occasional cyclones, large trees and dense undergrowth have characterized the Sundarbans. Whatever the nature of its population—civilized or tribal, sparse or thick, the Sundarbans with its unique physical features offered a tough proposition to human habitation throughout the ages. Its shifting rivers, cyclonic hazards and occasional flooding despite embankments and exploits of animals debilitated efforts of clearing forests for cultivation.
