A plateau is a type of terrain that’s characterized by relatively flat land that rises above the surrounding area. They are usually formed by upwelling of volcanic magma, extrusion of lava, and water erosion sometimes through glaciers. Here are some more examples of plateaus from around the world.
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Columbia Plateau
Above is the Columbia Plateau which is covered with basaltic lava flows and covers an area of about 100,000 square miles in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.
Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau occupies the area between the Himalayan mountain range to the south and the Taklamakan Desert to the north.
Pajarito Plateau
The Pajarito Plateau is an example of a volcanic plateau. It can be found in north-central New Mexico, United States.
Hardanger Plateau
The Hardanger plateau also known as Hardangervidda is located in central Norway and is the largest plateau found in Europe.
Antarctic Plateau
The Antarctic Plateau also known as the Polar Plateau or King Haakon VII Plateau is a vast area of ice and snow that covers over 622 miles on the continent of Antarctica.
Andean Plateau
This plateau is found on the continent of South America and is as large as Switzerland. The capital city of Colombia, Bogota, is situated atop this plateau. It’s also known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense (High Andean plateau).
Stretching around 600 miles at its widest point and covering an area of 40,000 square miles, the Altiplano is the largest and highest plateau in the world outside of Tibet.
World Atlas
Ethiopian Highlands
Located in the African country, Ethiopia, this plateau covers most of Ethiopia and central Eritrea. It’s made up of the Eastern Highlands and Western Highlands which are separated by the Eastern Rift Valley.
Western Plateau
The Western plateau covers two-thirds of the Australian continent; 2,700,000 square kilometers to give an estimate. To compare, this plateau is four times the size of Texas or the same size as the whole of continental Europe.
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