Question 1

True or false: Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world, spanning India and Bangladesh.

Accepted Answer

True. Covering about 10,000 square km, it's the world's largest contiguous mangrove forest, shared by both countries.

Question 2

True or false: The Sundarbans is home to a unique species of freshwater dolphin that lives in its rivers.

Accepted Answer

False. The Irrawaddy dolphin lives here, but it's a brackish-water dolphin, not freshwater; it tolerates both salt and fresh water.

Question 3

True or false: Tigers in Sundarbans are known to swim in saltwater to hunt prey between islands.

Accepted Answer

True. Royal Bengal tigers here are excellent swimmers, often crossing rivers and creeks up to 2 km wide to hunt.

Question 4

True or false: The Sundarbans has no human inhabitants due to extreme tidal flooding and tiger attacks.

Accepted Answer

False. Over 4 million people live in and around the Sundarbans, relying on fishing and honey collection despite dangers.

Question 5

True or false: The name 'Sundarbans' means 'beautiful forest' in Bengali, referring to its scenic mangroves.

Accepted Answer

False. Most scholars believe it comes from 'Sundari,' a dominant mangrove tree species, not directly meaning 'beautiful forest.'

Question 6

True or false: The Sundarbans were once a dense tropical rainforest, later submerged by rising sea levels.

Accepted Answer

False. The Sundarbans formed from deltaic sediments of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers, not a submerged rainforest.

Question 7

True or false: Sundarbans mangroves produce more oxygen per acre than the Amazon rainforest.

Accepted Answer

True. Mangroves are extremely efficient carbon sinks, and the Sundarbans' productivity per area rivals or exceeds many tropical forests.

Question 8

True or false: Honey from the Sundarbans is naturally hallucinogenic because bees collect nectar from toxic mangrove flowers.

Accepted Answer

True. Bees gather nectar from the poisonous 'khalsi' tree, producing 'mad honey' that can cause hallucinations and low blood pressure.

Sundarbans Trivia Questions