Top 10 Largest Plateaus in the World

Cameron Plateau is a district in Pahang, located at an elevation of 1,500 meters and covering an area of about 712.18 km², approximately 4 hours by bus from Kuala Lumpur. Often compared to Vietnam's Da Lat, this plateau enjoys a cool climate year-round, perfect for temperate plants and flowers. It is one of Malaysia's largest mountain regions and has been a popular tourist destination for many years. Cameron is renowned for its trails that wind through vast forests, leading to waterfalls and tranquil spots.

The fresh climate and fertile soil allow tea to thrive here, making Cameron Plateau famous for its lush tea plantations. Visitors to the plateau's tea hills may feel like they’ve stepped into the English countryside. The charming English-style houses provide a cozy place for travelers to rest during their visit. The area is also known for its meticulously maintained strawberry farms, offering guests the chance to pick ripe, juicy berries. Another must-do activity is enjoying tea and scones, a delightful cultural tradition left behind from British influence.

Known as the most famous wilderness plateau in Europe, Scottish is one of Scotland's top tourist attractions. In the summer, the plateau is covered in lush green grass, with mist and clouds drifting gently across the landscape, giving Scottish its rare, enchanting beauty. When winter arrives, the entire plateau is blanketed in white snow, adding a cold yet romantic allure to the wild terrain.

The Scottish Plateau spans approximately 350,000 km². It is renowned in Europe as the most famous wilderness plateau. The area attracts many tourists with its unique beauty, featuring sprawling grasslands in summer and a misty atmosphere, while winter transforms it into a snow-covered, picturesque wonderland.

The Main Range, also known as the Banjaran Titiwangsa in Malaysia, is a granite mountain range that forms the backbone of Peninsular Malaysia, stretching north to south. Many peaks in this range rise above 6,000 feet and house cool hill stations like the Cameron Plateau, Fraser Plateau, and Genting Plateau. Genting is recognized as the foothill station of Malaysia, and this high-altitude resort is often referred to as Malaysia's version of Las Vegas.

Genting Highlands, covering an area of around 350,000 km², features lush tropical vegetation that contrasts with the Asian-style hill station views from the western foothills. While it might seem unremarkable at first glance, spending a day here will charm you with its fresh air, panoramic views, and surrounding green hills, offering perfect conditions for leisure activities. The area is home to a resort and hotel complex amidst vibrant flowers, and it even houses the world’s largest casino.

With an area of 300,000 km² and an average elevation of 500m, the Patagonia Plateau features a relatively flat terrain, with large portions covered by volcanic lava and some areas forming terraces. This creates a tabletop plateau that gradually slopes toward the east. The sparse vegetation on the surface leads to complex erosion patterns, carving out deep gullies running from west to east.

Located 1,000 km from Antarctica, Patagonia spans both Chile and Argentina in South America. Often called the 'end of the Earth,' it’s a destination for the brave and adventurous. Surrounded by mountains, rivers, valleys, and an air of mystery, Patagonia is one of the world’s most exquisite and untouched tourist destinations. In southern Chile, this remote paradise boasts pristine forests, bays, caves, glaciers, and hot springs, captivating all who venture here.

The Yili Plateau is located in the northern part of Xinjiang, China. Covering an area of about 60,000 km², it is also known as the 'Plum Blossom Valley.' As its name suggests, this dreamlike region captivates visitors with the unique colors and fragrances that only Yili can offer.

Yili is beautiful throughout the year, but its most stunning season is spring. Each year, when the plum blossoms bloom at the turn of winter into spring, the plateau transforms into a paradise of flowers. The sweet, pure, and poetic beauty of Yili truly stirs the hearts of dreamers. Yili is a place that once visited, you won’t want to leave.

Covering an area of about 93,000 km², the name of this plateau is derived from two large lakes, Hulun and Buir. The breathtaking beauty of Hulun Buir is a source of pride for the locals. With more than 3,000 rivers, 500 lakes of various sizes, and vast grasslands, Hulun Buir is often compared to a giant green carpet stretching to the horizon. In the distance, rolling mountains further enhance this picturesque landscape.

Located in the northern region, bordering Mongolia, the people living around Hulun Buir take great pride in calling it one of the three most beautiful plateaus in the world. The plateau resembles an endless expanse of green grass, and during the summer, the scenery here is like a traditional Chinese landscape painting with the blue sky, shimmering lakes, lush vegetation, and the red earth contrasting against distant mountains.

Located in the heart of Siberia, Russia, and approximately 100km from the Arctic Circle, the Putorana Plateau was formed by volcanic activity. Spanning around 20,000 km², it is home to over 25,000 lakes, dozens of deep canyons, rivers, streams, and thousands of waterfalls. The diverse landscapes, remote geography, and pristine wilderness make the Putorana Plateau one of the rarest and most untouched natural regions. Lake Putorana, which holds a vast water reserve, ranks just behind Lake Baikal in water volume.

As a remote mountain range within the plateau, Putorana features many ecosystems typical of the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, including untouched taiga forests, tundra, and deserts. The name Putorana means 'mountains without peaks,' referring to large flat-topped basalt formations that create a unique and beautiful landscape without narrow, towering peaks.

Tectonic fault lines have created vast freshwater reservoirs with some of the purest water on Earth. Lake Putorana is a massive water storage system, with depths ranging from 300 to 500 meters. While it is comparable to Lake Baikal in terms of depth, it surpasses it in water purity. The flora and fauna here are incredibly rich and diverse, including moss fields, taiga forests, and high mountains. The plateau also hosts the largest population of wild reindeer in the region, as well as snow sheep, a little-studied species now listed in the Red Book.

Africa is the largest of the three major landmasses on the Earth's southern hemisphere, covering an area of approximately 30,221,532 km² including its surrounding islands. Most of its territory lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, giving it a predominantly hot climate with an average annual temperature above 20°C and stable weather conditions. Rainfall is relatively low and decreases as one moves toward the two tropics, resulting in vast deserts such as the Sahara, the largest sand desert in the world.

The continent's terrain is fairly simple and can be described as a vast plateau, averaging 750 meters in elevation. The plateau is dotted with highlands and low basins. Much of Africa’s interior is elevated, with the land fractured by cracks, forming deep valleys and long, narrow lakes. Africa has few high mountains and very little lowland plains.

Brazil is located in South America, within the Amazon River basin, the largest river in the world, which nourishes nearly half of Brazil's territory. In the lower Amazon basin, dense tropical rainforests remain, though deforestation is increasing due to land demand. This area, often referred to as the Earth's lungs, is being threatened. To the north of the Amazon River basin lies the Guyana Mountains, with Brazil's highest peak, Pico da Neblina. South of the basin is a central plateau with vast grasslands. To the east and south, the Brazilian mountains meet a densely populated coastal plain. The mountainous region forms a vast plateau interspersed with fertile valleys and mountain ranges.

The Brazilian Highlands cover an area of more than 5,000,000 km², accounting for nearly half of Brazil's total area. It is one of the largest plateaus in the world. The terrain is flat, with an elevation ranging from 500 to 900 meters above sea level. The climate here is unique, with warm and dry winters, while summers are hot and humid with frequent rainfall. The vast grasslands of the Brazilian Highlands are not only expansive but also rich in mineral resources, including the largest reserves of iron ore and manganese globally.

The Changtang Plateau, located at the border between Tibet and India, spans the Himalayas. This area stretches approximately 1,100 kilometers and is roughly the size of France. It is a barren, windswept land with no rivers. The mountain ranges divide valleys of relatively low elevation, forming numerous small and large lakes, most of which are saline or alkaline. Changtang also features areas of unfrozen permafrost, muddy land covered with grasses, resembling the Siberian tundra.

The climate here is extreme and unpredictable. Summers are hot, while winters are frigid, akin to the Arctic. Additionally, sudden hailstorms accompanied by thunder can strike at any time during the year. The vast Changtang Plateau spans 2.5 million km² with an average elevation of over 4,500 meters. It is home to enormous salt lakes and is considered the second largest natural reserve in the world. The region also contains Mount Everest, which marks the border between Tibet and Nepal. Its river and lake system is surrounded by fertile valleys and deep, long canyons.