The landscape is mountainous with dense vegetation all the way up to the alpine altitude before thinning out to desert scrub towards the northern tundra.

Numerous waterfalls astride the main road make the trip to this district extremely picturesque.

The most prominent effect of the steepness of the valleys is the prevalence of landslides that at times drop debris anything between 3,000 and 5,000 ft (900 and 1,500 m) carrying devastation along their course.

Kanchenjunga is the highest peak at over 8,000 metres or 26,000 feet, straddling its western border with Nepal and can be seen clearly from the town of Singhik.

The steep gradient and the innumerable lakes on the higher reaches facilitate ideal conditions for generation of hydro electric power.

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named North Sikkim one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).

The area, which shares a sensitive border with the People's Republic of China is heavily patrolled by the Indian army.

It is generally found between heights of 2000 m to 4000 m. It is as big as a domestic Siamese cat (approximately 2 ft long), has a triangular shaped face with a stripe on its cheek, with red fur and black eyes.

In 1977 North Sikkim district became home to Khangchendzonga National Park, which has an area of 1,784 km2 (688.8 sq mi).