• The Plateaus are built over millions of years as pieces of Earth’s crust smash into each other, melt, and gurgle back toward the surface.
• The term Plateau can be defined as the upland which has at least one side of a very steep slope standing well above the neighboring surface and whose upper part is extensively flat.
• The most significant deciding factor of the Plateau is the flatness of its top rather than the height.

List of Major Plateaus of the World

• Colorado Plateau:
  • Includes Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.
  • Divided by the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.
  • Largest plateau in America, covering an area of 337,000km2.
  • Highest elevation is about 2,450m above sea level.
  • Intermontane plateau with mesas and buttes found at many places.
  • Known for the emergence of Artesian wells.
• Columbia Plateau:
  • Located in parts of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
  • Surrounded by the Cascade Range and Rocky Mountains.
  • Coated in basalt lava from volcanic eruptions (Flood Basalt Plateau).
• Appalachian Plateau:
  • Series of rugged dissected plateaus located on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains.
  • Northwestern part of the Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New York to Alabama.
• Piedmont Plateau:
  • Plateau region located in the Eastern United States.
  • Situated between the Atlantic coastal plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New York to central Alabama.
  • Consists of the Gettysburg-Newark Lowlands, the Piedmont Upland, and the Piedmont Lowlands sections.
• Laurentian Plateau:
  • Canadian Shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks that forms the ancient geologic core of the North American continent.
  • Fine quality of iron-ore is found here.
• Central Mexican Plateau:
  • Also known as the Mexican Altiplano.
  • Large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico.
  • Extends from the United States border in the north to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in the south.
  • Bounded by the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental to the west and east, respectively.
• Altiplano Plateau:
  • Located in west-central South America between two ranges of the Andes Mountain
  • Major area for tin reserves
  • Capital of Bolivia, La Paz and Sucre, are situated on this plateau
• Guyana Highland:
  • Part of the Guyana Shield in northeast South America
  • One of the oldest land surfaces in the world
  • A 1.7 billion-year-old Precambrian geological formation
• Brazilian Highland:
  • Covers most of the eastern, southern, and central portions of Brazil
  • Divided into three plateaus: Atlantic, Southern, and Central
  • Once almost completely covered by the Atlantic Rainforest
• Patagonian Highland:
  • Located in the southern part of Argentina
  • A rain shadow desert plateau
  • Important region for sheep rearing
• Central Massif:
  • Located in the middle of southern France
  • Consists of mountains and plateaus
  • Famous for grapes cultivation
• Mesata:
  • One of the basic geographical units of the Iberian Peninsula
  • Consists of a plateau covering a large part of the latter’s interior
• Transylvanian Plateau:
  • Plateau in central Romania
  • Almost entirely surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains
  • Includes the Transylvanian Plain
• Hardangervidda Plateau:
  • One of the largest plateaus in Europe
  • Located in western Norway, about 200 km west of Oslo
  • Northwest of the plateau is bordered by one of the largest glaciers of Norway
• Central Russian Upland:
  • Upland area of the East European Plain
  • Undulating plateau with an average elevation of 230–250 m
  • Highest peak is measured at 293 m
  • Southeastern portion is known as the Kalach Upland
• Tibetan Plateau:
  • Highest, largest, and most famous plateau in the world
  • Located in South-Central Asia, stretches through Tibet, China, and India
  • Covers an area of 2,500,000 km2 with a flat valley floor at about 16,000 feet above sea level
  • Formed due to collision of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates
  • Surrounded by mountains to the south (Himalayan Range), northeast (Kunlun Range), and west (Karakoram Range)
• Mongolian Plateau:
  • Part of the Central Asian Plateau
  • Approximately 3,200,000 square kilometers in area
  • Bounded by the Greater Hinggan Mountains in the east, Yin Mountains to the south, Altai Mountains to the west, and Sayan and Khentii mountains to the north
  • Includes the Gobi Desert and dry steppe regions
  • Elevation of roughly 1,000 to 1,500 meters, with lowest point in Hulunbuir and highest point in Altai
• Central Siberian Plateau:
  • Occupies great part of central Siberia between Yenisei and Lena rivers
  • Located in the Siberian Platform and extends over an area of 3,500,000 km2
  • Bounded to the south by Altai Mountains, Salair Ridge, Kuznetsk Alatau, Eastern and Western Sayan Mountains, and other mountains of Tuva
  • Bounded to the north by North Siberian Lowland and to the east by Central Yakutian Lowland and Lena Plateau
  • Surface characterized by alternation of wide plateaus and ridges, covering one-third of Siberia
• Deccan Plateau:
  • Large plateau in southern India
  • Bordered by Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats mountain ranges
  • Includes Deccan Traps, the largest volcanic feature on Earth
  • Deccan Traps cover an area of 500,000 square kilometers and contain unique fossils
  • Rich in minerals including mica, iron ore, diamonds, gold, and other metals
• Yunnan Plateau:
  • Highland region in southwest China
  • Primarily located in the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou
• Shan Plateau:
  • Crystalline massif in eastern Myanmar (Burma)
  • Part of the Indo-Malayan mountain system
  • Crossed by the Salween River in the east and bordered by the Irrawaddy River in the west
  • Average elevation between 2,500 and 4,000 feet (750 and 1,200 m)
  • Seamed and ribbed by mountain ranges
• Arabian Plateau:
  • Oligocene sub-horizontal regional planation surface in the western half of the Arabian Peninsula
  • Required a prominent uplift since the Late Eocene to reach its present elevation of about 1 km
• Anatolian Plateau:
  • Intermontane plateau in Turkey
  • Lies between Pontiac and Taurus Mountain ranges
  • Tigris-Euphrates Rivers flow through the plateau
  • Precious wool producing Angora goats found here
• Ethiopian Plateau:
  • Rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in northeast Africa
  • Largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent
  • Little of its surface falls below 1,500 m, while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 m
• East African Plateau:
  • Large plateau in eastern part of central Africa in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania
  • Elevation mostly between 1000 and 1500 meters
  • Subdivided into zones consisting of mountain ranges, tablelands, and rift valleys
• Table Mountain:
  • Prominent landform in Cape Town, South Africa
  • Located at the northern end of the Sandstone Mountain Range
  • Level plateau measuring 3 km from side to side
• Ahaggar Plateau:
  • Large plateau in the north center of the Sahara, North Africa
  • Height above 3,000 feet (900 m), culminating in Mount Tahat (9,573 feet [2,918 m]) in southeastern Algeria
• Katanga Plateau:
  • Farming and ranching region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Famous for copper production
  • Other minerals mined here include cobalt, uranium, zinc, silver, gold, and tin.
• Western Plateau:
  • Australia’s largest drainage division.
  • Covers two thirds of the continent.
  • Composed of remains of the ancient rock shield of Gondwana.
  • Mostly flat sandy or stony desert with sparse shrub or grass cover.
• Kimberley Plateau:
  • Located in northern Western Australia.
  • Extends from northwest Indian Ocean coast to the Fitzroy River and east to the Ord River.
  • Made of volcanic eruption.
  • Rich in minerals like iron, gold, lead, zinc, silver, and diamonds.
  • Used for mining and cattle rearing.
• Atherton Tableland:
  • Located in Queensland, Australia.
  • Covers an area of 32,000km2 with elevation of 500 to 1,280m above sea level.
• Antarctic Plateau:
  • Located in Central Antarctica, crossing parts of the South Pole and Amundsen Scott Station.
  • Covers an area of 1,000km2 and has its highest elevation of about 3,000m above sea level.
• Potohar Plateau:
  • Located in northeastern Pakistan.
  • Bordered by Jehlum River to the east, Indus River to the west, Margalla Hills and Kala Chitta Range to the north, and Salt Range to the south.
  • Encompasses four districts: Jehlum, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, and Attock.
• Mascarene Plateau:
  • An oceanic plateau in the Indian Ocean between Seychelles and Mauritius Islands.
• Loess Plateau:
  • Located in China.
  • Soil composed of fine particles brought by wind.
  • Highly productive for crop growth along the Yellow River.