Plateaus and Plains of the World

Every place on this map

1. Tibetan PlateauChinaThe world's highest and largest plateau, averaging about 4 km in elevation.
2. Pamir PlateauTajikistan and ChinaThe high mountain knot of Central Asia, called the Roof of the World.
3. Deccan PlateauIndiaIndia's great lava (basalt) plateau, built by Deccan Traps eruptions in the Cretaceous-Eocene.
4. Iranian PlateauIranThe intermontane plateau of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan's Balochistan.
5. Anatolian PlateauTurkeyThe intermontane plateau of Turkey between the Pontic and Taurus mountains.
6. Mongolian PlateauMongolia and ChinaThe high, dry grassland plateau of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia.
7. Loess PlateauChinaChina's plateau of wind-blown loess silt carried from the Gobi.
8. Arabian PlateauSaudi ArabiaThe great tilted block of Arabia, sloping from the Red Sea rim down to the Gulf.
9. Central Siberian PlateauRussiaThe ancient plateau of Siberia between the Yenisey and Lena.
10. West Siberian PlainRussiaOne of the world's largest flat lowlands in western Siberia.
11. North China PlainChinaChina's great alluvial plain built by the Huang He's loess silt.
12. Indo-Gangetic PlainSouth AsiaThe alluvial plain of the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra across Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
13. Mesopotamian PlainIraqThe plain between the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq.
14. Ethiopian (Abyssinian) PlateauEthiopiaThe volcanic highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea where the Blue Nile rises.
15. East African PlateauEast AfricaThe rift-valley plateau of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
16. South African Plateau (Veld)South AfricaSouth Africa's high plateau, the Veld country.
17. Katanga PlateauDR CongoThe plateau of south-eastern DR Congo, a copper and cobalt belt.
18. Atlas MountainsMorocco and AlgeriaNorth-west Africa's fold mountains across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
19. North European PlainEuropeThe low plain stretching from France through Germany and Poland to Russia.
20. Meseta CentralSpainThe central plateau of Spain.
21. VosgesFranceThe textbook block (fault) mountain of eastern France.
22. Colorado PlateauUSAThe uplifted plateau of the US south-west, cut by the Colorado River into the Grand Canyon.
23. Columbia PlateauUSAThe lava plateau of the US Pacific north-west.
24. Mexican PlateauMexicoThe intermontane plateau of Mexico between the Sierra Madre ranges.
25. Canadian Shield (Laurentian)CanadaCanada's ancient shield, scraped by ice sheets into thousands of lakes.
26. Great PlainsUSA and CanadaThe dry grassland plain east of the Rockies, across the USA and Canada.
27. Brazilian PlateauBrazilBrazil's ancient crystalline shield plateau.
28. Guiana HighlandsSouth AmericaThe ancient shield of north-eastern South America, famous for flat-topped tepuis.
29. Altiplano (Bolivian Plateau)Bolivia and PeruThe high intermontane plateau between two Andes chains in Bolivia and Peru.
30. Patagonian PlateauArgentinaThe piedmont plateau east of the southern Andes in Argentina.
31. Amazon PlainBrazilThe vast equatorial lowland of the Amazon basin.
32. Nullarbor PlainAustraliaAustralia's flat, treeless limestone plain: null arbor means no tree.
33. Western Plateau (Australia)AustraliaThe ancient shield covering most of Western Australia.