RAS question
The Sundarbans mangrove forest is shared between:
Correct answer: (B) India and Bangladesh.
The Sundarbans mangrove forest is shared by India and Bangladesh.
Explanation
The Sundarbans is not confined to one country: UNESCO describes it as straddling the Ganges and Brahmaputra deltas between India and Bangladesh. That directly matches the option pair India and Bangladesh. The Indian side lies in West Bengal, the forest covers about 10,000 sq km in all, and the Indian part is about 4,200 sq km. Its importance in environment questions comes from its identity as the world's largest mangrove forest, so the country pair is usually tested alongside its deltaic and mangrove setting.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) India and Myanmar is wrong because the Sundarbans is identified with India and Bangladesh, not Myanmar.
- (C) India and Pakistan is wrong because Pakistan is not part of the Sundarbans distribution described by UNESCO.
- (D) India and Sri Lanka is wrong because the Sundarbans is described as lying between India and Bangladesh, not Sri Lanka.
Concept
This tests the geography of mangrove ecosystems, especially the location of major deltaic wetlands. It recurs in RAS because environment questions often combine map location with ecological significance.