Tibetan Plateau

Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, Qingzang Plateau, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South, and East Asia. Geographically, Tibet is located to the north of the Himalayas and the Indian subcontinent, and to the south of the Tarim Basin and the Mongolian Plateau. Geopolitically, it covers most of the Tibet Autonomous Region, most of Qinghai, the western half of Sichuan, southern Gansu Province, southern Xinjiang Province in Western China, Bhutan, the Indian regions of Ladakh and Lahaul and Spiti as well as Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, northwestern Nepal, eastern Tajikistan and southern Kyrgyzstan.

Plateau

In geology and physical geography, a plateau, also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides have deep escarpments or hills. Plateaus can be formed by a number of processes, including upwelling of volcanic magma, extrusion of lava, and erosion by water and glaciers. Plateaus are classified according to their surrounding environment as intermontane, piedmont, or continental. A few plateaus may have a small flat top while others have wider ones.

Tibetan Plateau

Proper noun

1. A high altitude plateau north of the Great Himalaya ranges, west of the Szechuan basin, and south of the Taklamakan Desert.