West Bengal is a state gifted with all the landforms except desert. The physiographical divisions of west bengal can be categorised into 8 broad divisions discussed in details as below:-

1.Darjeeling Himalayan hill region

Darjeeling Himalayan hill region is situated on the north-western side of the state. This region belongs to the Eastern Himalaya range. The whole of the Darjeeling district except the Siliguri division and a narrow part in the northern part of Jalpaiguri district constitutes the region. It starts abruptly up from the Terai region. The deep gorge of Teesta River has divided this mountainous region into two parts: the Singalila and Darjeeling ranges run from north to south in the western part. The Singalila range is located along the border of Darjeeling and Nepal; it has four important peaks – Sandakfu, Falut, Sabargam and Tonglu. 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.Also to mention Sandakfu & Phalut are the only place in West Bengal from where Mt. Everest is visible. 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.

2.Terai region

The ‘‘Terai’’ ("moist land") is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests at the base of the Himalaya range stretching southwards to about 38 km. Above the Terai belt lies the Bhabar, a forested belt of rock, gravel, and soil eroded from the Himalayas. The Terai zone is composed of alternate layers of clay and sand, with a high water table that creates many springs and wetlands. The Terai zone is inundated yearly by the monsoon-swollen rivers of the Himalaya. The Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands is an ecoregion that stretches across the middle of the Terai belt. The Terai-Duar savanna and wetlands are a mosaic of tall grasslands, savannas and evergreen and deciduous forests. The Terai and Dooars region politically constitute the plains of Darjeeling District, whole of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar district and upper region of Cooch Behar District in West Bengal. The slope of the land is gentle, from north to south. The general height of the land is 80 to 100 m. The entire region is made up of sand, gravel and pebbles laid down by the Himalayan rivers like the Teesta, Torsa, Raidak, Jaldhaka, Sankosh and several other small rivulets. The Teesta has divided the area into two parts- the western part is known as the Terai whereas the eastern part is known as the Dooars or Duars. The Dooars region can be further subdivided into the Siliguri or Western Dooars, the middle or Jalpaiguri Dooars and the eastern or Alipur Dooars.

3.North Bengal plains

North Bengal plain start from the south of Terai region and continues up to the left bank of the Ganges. The southern parts of the district Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur baring some extreme northern regions, South Dinajpur, Malda, Alipurduar and southern part of Cooch Behar districts constitute this geographical region. The narrow land mass in the North Dinajpur district is known as Mahananda Corridor. This corridor runs north to south joining Malda with the plains of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar. The entire part of North and South Dinajpur is silt laden plain.

Mahananda River divides the district of Malda into two parts. The eastern part consists of undulating plains and some tilas and is made up of old alluvium and is a part of the Ganges delta. It is also known as Barind or Barendrabhumi. In contrast to the eastern part, the western part is made up of new alluvium and in this part River Kalindi joins the Mahananda River. The part of Malda lying to the north of river Kalindi is known as tal. This is a lowland and covered with swamps and beels (small water bodies). Whereas the area south of the Kalindi is a very fertile land and is known as diara.

The plain in the south of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar district is also made of new alluvium deposited by numerous rivers like the Teesta, Torsa, Raidak, Jaldhaka, Sankosh, Balason, Punarbhaba, Atrai and several other small rivulets.

4.Rarh region

Rarh is the region that intervenes between the Vajjabhumi and the Ganges Delta. Parts of the districts Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bankura, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur constitute this region. The region is about 50 to 100 m above the sea level. This region is believed to be created from the soil from the Deccan plateau. The area is formed by the silt brought by the tributaries of Bhagirathi, Mayurakshi River, Ajay River, Damodar and Rupnarayan River which flow over the western plateau region made up of laterite soil make the soil of the area red in colour. The land slope is from west to the south-east and formation of natural levees along the river banks is a common phenomenon.

5.Coastal plain

A small coastal region is on the extreme south of the state. A part of the district of Purba Medinipur along the Bay of Bengal constitutes the coastal plain. This emergent coastal plain is made up of sand and mud deposited by rivers and by wind. Parallel to the coast are colonies of sand dunes and marshy areas. The Digha dune lies nearest to the Bay of Bengal while the Kanthi dune is the farthest from it. In some areas dunes occur at a distance of 15–16 km from the coast and are 11–12 m high.

6.Sunderbans

The Sundarbans delta is the largest mangrove forest in the world situated in the South 24 Parganas district. It lies at the mouth of the Ganges and is spread across areas of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. The Bangladeshi and Indian portions of the jungle are listed in the UNESCO world heritage list separately as the Sundarbans and Sundarbans National Park respectively, though they are parts of the same forest. The Sundarbans are intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. The general average height of the area is 10 m. This area has been created by deposition of silt by its numerous rivers namely, Hoogly, Matla River, Jamira River, Gosaba River, Saptamukhi River, Haribhanga River and their tributaries. The formation of the delta is an ongoing process and new bars and islands are being created along the rivers and at the river mouth. A large section of the area remains under water during incoming times.

The area is known for its wide range of fauna. The most famous among these is the royal Bengal tiger, but numerous species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes also inhabit it. It is estimated that there are now 400 Bengal tigers and about 30,000 spotted deer in the area.

7.Western plateau and high lands

The Western plateau and highlands forms the eastern fringes of the Chota Nagpur Plateau and is made up of igneous rocks of the Archaean era as well as coal-bearing mudstone and quartzite rocks of Carboniferous period. The western part of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Bardhaman and Paschim Medinipur district constitutes this area. Because of long and continuous erosion, the whole region has been transformed into an undulating peneplain. This area is interspersed by small monadnocks locally known as tila. Some of the important hills in the area include Ajodhya Hills (677 m), Panchet(643 m) and Baghmundi of Purulia, Biharinath (452 m) and Susunia (442 m) of Bankura. The area has a slope from the west to the east. The altitude in the area ranges from 500 to 100 m. Gorgaburu in the Ayodhya Hills (677 m) is the highest point in the region.

8.Ganges delta

The Ganges delta consists of the whole of Nadia, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas districts and the Eastern half of Murshidabad district. River Ganges passes through this vast area and divides into three distinct parts – the old delta, the mature delta and the active delta.

The old delta consists of the districts of Murshidabad and Nadia and Purulia. The formation of delta is complete and the rivers here are heavily silted and many have even dried up in due course of time. Silted rivers, swamps, beels and oxbow lakes forms the area. This area is also known as Bagri region.

The districts of Kolkata and North 24 Parganas form mature delta region. The rivers are slow and meandering and frequently shift their courses. Swamps, beels and oxbow lakes characterises the scenery. The district of South 24 Parganas is known to be the active delta of the Ganges, where the formation of delta is still an ongoing process.