- AMONG THE
HIMALAYAN RANGES OF THIS REGION, SINGALILA RANGE HOSTS SANDAKFU WHICH AT 3,636
METRES (11,929 FT) IS THE HIGHEST POINT OF WEST BENGAL.
- TWO HIGH PEAKS,
TIGER HILL AND GHOOM ARE SEEN NEAR THE TOWN OF DARJEELING. MANY RANGES BRANCH
OFF IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS FROM TIGER HILL. DURPINDARA IS AN IMPORTANT
MOUNTAIN IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE MOUNTAINOUS REGION.
- A FEW HILLS ALSO OCCUR
IN THE TERAI OR DOOARS REGION AT THE FOOT OF THE HIMALAYAS. SOME REMNANTS OF
THE SIWALIKS CAN BE SEEN IN THE JALPAIGURI DISTRICT, WHERE THEY ARE KNOWN AS
THE BUXA-JAYANTI HILLS.
- A SMALL COASTAL REGION IS ON THE EXTREME SOUTH, WHILE
THE SUNDARBANS MANGROVE FORESTS FORM A REMARKABLE GEOGRAPHICAL LANDMARK AT THE
GANGES DELTA.
- WEST BENGAL IS ON
THE EASTERN BOTTLENECK OF INDIA, STRETCHING FROM THE HIMALAYAS IN THE NORTH TO
THE BAY OF BENGAL IN THE SOUTH.
- THE STATE HAS A TOTAL AREA OF 88,752 SQUARE
KILOMETRES (34,267 SQ MI). THE DARJEELING HIMALAYAN HILL REGION IN THE
NORTHERN EXTREME OF THE STATE BELONGS TO THE EASTERN HIMALAYA.
- THIS REGION
CONTAINS SANDAKFU (3,636 M OR 11,929 FT)—THE HIGHEST PEAK OF THE STATE.THE
NARROW TERAI REGION SEPARATES THIS REGION FROM THE PLAINS, WHICH IN TURN
TRANSITIONS INTO THE GANGES DELTA TOWARDS THE SOUTH.
- THE RARH REGION INTERVENES
BETWEEN THE GANGES DELTA IN THE EAST AND THE WESTERN PLATEAU AND HIGH LANDS.
THE CHOLA RANGE IS SITUATED ON THE SIKKIM AND BHUTAN BORDER. THE HIGHEST PEAK
IS RISHILA.
- THE TOWN OF KALIMPONG IS SITUATED IN THIS REGION. NEORA VALLEY
NATIONAL PARK IS LOCATED HERE. THE RELATIVELY LOW-HEIGHT BUXA-JAYANTI RANGE, A
PART OF THE SIVALIK, IS ALSO LOCATED HERE.
