Best Plateau
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is a large protected natural area straddling the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan in western Canada. The park is geographically distinguished by its elevated plateau, which features dense lodgepole pine forests and fescue grasslands that rise notably above the su...
The Altiplano is a vast, high-altitude plateau primarily located in southwest South America encompassing parts of Bolivia and Peru. Characterized by its semi-arid climate and expansive grasslands, it’s notable for supporting unique ecosystems and significant geological formations. It's a region of p...
The Colorado Plateau Shrublands is a Level III ecoregion spanning the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States, covering parts of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Characterized by its high elevation and arid climate, the landscape features dramatic canyons, mesas, and plateaus d...
The Simien Massif is a dramatic plateau massif located in northeastern Ethiopia. It’s recognized for its unique geology featuring deep valleys and dramatic cliffs. The area harbors several endemic animal species, most notably the gelada monkey, and represents a significant biodiversity hotspot. This...
The Coteau des Prairies is a prominent glacial plateau extending across parts of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. Composed primarily of glacial deposits, it rises distinctly above the surrounding flat plains and forms a geographic divide between the Red River valley and the Missouri River...
The Silingol Steppe, also known as the Xilingol Grassland, is a vast temperate grassland located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. It is recognized for its rich biodiversity and ecological importance as a representative Eurasian steppe ecosystem. The region is part of the UNESCO Worl...
Manpupuner Rock Formations are seven colossal stone pillars situated in the remote Republic of Komi, Russia. These natural formations represent an extraordinary example of glacial and fluvial erosion shaping a plateau over millennia. The structures’ immense size and unusual symmetry make them a sign...
The Patagonian Desert, also known as the Patagonian Steppe, is the largest desert in South America, spanning approximately 673,000 square kilometers. Located primarily in Argentina, it occupies the region east of the Andes mountain range, where it exists as a cold, rain-shadow desert. The harsh, ari...
Columbia Hills Petroglyphs are located within Columbia Hills Historical State Park in Washington state, near the Columbia River. The site preserves rock art created by Indigenous peoples of the Columbia Plateau, with carvings spanning thousands of years. The best-known image is Tsagaglalal, or 'She...
The Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe occupies a vast area of western China’s Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This unique ecosystem is characterized by high altitude, cold, and arid conditions supporting specialized plant life like grasses and mosses. It's notable for its substantial populations of Tibet...
The Vercors Massif is a prominent limestone mountain range located in the French Prealps in the southeastern region of France. Characterized by sheer cliffs, deep gorges, and extensive underground cave systems, it is largely protected within the Vercors Regional Natural Park. During World War II, it...
The Badghyz Steppe is a semi-desert and plateau region located in southern Turkmenistan. It is ecologically distinguished by its ancient, naturally occurring wild pistachio woodlands, which thrive in the arid climate. The region also serves as a vital refuge for the endangered Turkmenian wild ass, a...
The Ladakh Cold Desert is a high-altitude desert located in the northern Indian Union Territory of Ladakh. Situated in the rain shadow of the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges, the region receives very low annual precipitation, resulting in an arid landscape characterized by bare mountains and...
The Great Basin Desert is a cold winter desert spanning approximately 492,000 square kilometers, making it the largest desert in the United States. It covers the majority of Nevada and extends into parts of Utah, California, Oregon, and Idaho. Unlike the hot deserts of the Southwest, the Great Basin...
The Upper Karoo is a vast, semi-arid plateau and geological region located in the central interior of South Africa. It is characterized by its wide, open shrublands, dramatic flat-topped hills, and extreme temperature fluctuations. The area sits atop sedimentary rock sequences of the Karoo Supergrou...
The Deosai Plains, located in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region, form a high-altitude plateau at approximately 4,100 meters above sea level. The area is designated as Deosai National Park, established in 1993 to protect the Himalayan brown bear. It is among the highest plateaus in the world and rem...
The Chang Tang Steppe occupies a high-altitude region of the Tibetan Plateau in China. This expansive steppe ecosystem is notable for its extreme conditions and serves as vital grazing land for livestock and supports unique alpine wildlife populations including snow leopards and wild yaks. It’s prim...
Budderoo National Park is a protected area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, encompassing plateau, escarpment, heathland, woodland, and rainforest environments. Its best-known visitor areas include Minnamurra Rainforest and the walking routes around Carrington Falls. The park pr...
The Blackdown Hills are an upland landscape spanning parts of Devon and Somerset in southwestern England. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991 and now formally called a National Landscape, the area includes a plateau cut by valleys, with heath, woodland, farmland, springs, and st...
The Barren Grounds Nature Reserve is a protected conservation area located on the Illawarra escarpment in New South Wales, Australia. Established to preserve its unique upland heathland ecosystems, the reserve serves as a crucial habitat for several threatened native species, most notably the easter...
Springbrook National Park is a protected area in the hinterland of Queensland's Gold Coast, established in 1990 and included within the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage property. It protects subtropical and temperate rainforest, ancient volcanic landscapes, cliffs, streams, and water...
The Palpa Lines Geoglyphs are a collection of ancient ground drawings located in the Palpa Province of southern Peru, situated near the more famous Nazca Lines. Created primarily by the Paracas and Topará cultures between roughly 1000 BCE and 1 CE, they predate the geoglyphs of the Nazca culture. Un...
The Puna Steppe is a high-altitude montane ecoregion in the central Andes, spanning across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Characterized by cold, arid grasslands and shrublands above 3,200 meters, it features saline lakes and unique wildlife adapted to extreme elevations. Notable species includ...
Gilf Kebir is a large, remote sandstone plateau in southwestern Egypt, near the borders with Libya and Sudan in the Libyan Desert. Its cliffs, valleys, and surrounding dune fields contain archaeological sites and prehistoric rock art, including the Cave of Swimmers, documented for Europeans by Lászl...
The Columbia Plateau Shrub-Steppe is a vast semiarid ecoregion located in the northwestern United States, primarily encompassing parts of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The landscape is defined by its rolling plateaus and basins, which are dominated by drought-resistant vegetation like sagebrush and...
Brownsberg Nature Park is a protected area in the Brokopondo district of Suriname, situated on the Mazaroni plateau overlooking the Brokopondo Reservoir. It protects an accessible expanse of tropical rainforest that is home to several species of primates, exotic birds, and diverse plant life. Manage...
The Great Karoo is a vast semi-arid plateau spanning roughly 400,000 square kilometers across the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. Characterized by its low rainfall, extreme temperatures, and sparse shrubland vegetation, it is a central region for South Africa's Merino sheep farmi...
The Serra Geral Escarpment is a major geological cliff line located in southern Brazil, forming the eastern boundary of the Paraná Basin. Composed primarily of ancient basalt rock from Cretaceous volcanic activity, the escarpment dramatically separates the cooler inland plateau from the narrow Atlan...
The Ardennes Massif is a region of heavily forested upland terrain primarily located across Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of France and Germany. It consists of an ancient mountain range characterized by rolling plateaus, steep valleys, and dense woodlands. The area is historically notable as the si...
The Waterberg Plateau is a prominent flat-topped sandstone landform in central Namibia, rising roughly 200 meters above the surrounding plains. Much of it lies within Waterberg Plateau Park, established as a protected area and used in conservation programs for threatened wildlife, including rhinocer...
