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Plateau, also known as the ‘roof of the Th e plateau is crossed by the deep trench of
world’. It lies between the Kunlun Range and the Salween River in the east and is bordered
the Himalayan Mountains. Other examples by the upper course of the Irrawaddy River in
are the Iranian Plateau, Anatolian Plateau the west. Th e average elevation of the plateau
and the Mongolian Plateau. Along with these, is between 750 and 1,200 metres.
there exist two great depressions—Tarim
Basin and the Tsaidam Basin. Yunnan Plateau
Th e Yunnan Plateau is a highland region
Southern Plateaus
comprising the northern part of the Yunnan
Th e Southern Plateaus lie to the south of the province and the western part of the Guizhou
Central Mountains. Th e Deccan Plateau, the province in south-central China. Th e plateau
Arabian Plateau, and the Shan and Yunnan is about 2,000 metres in elevation and has
Plateaus are the prominent plateaus of this mountain peaks rising above 3,700 metres in
region. Th ese plateaus are made up of old the west.
hard crystalline rocks.
Deccan Plateau Great River Basins
Th e Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in Th e presence of several snow-clad mountains
southern India which has a steep range along in Asia has given rise to many perennial rivers.
the Arabian Sea coast in the west and gently Th e valleys of these rivers are very fertile.
slopes towards the Bay of Bengal in the Th erefore, the population around these
east. It rises to 100 metres in the north and to
more than a kilometre in the south, forming a areas is denser as compared to other regions.
raised triangle. Many rivers such as Mahanadi, Th ese valleys are situated between the central
Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri flow through the mountain ranges and the southern plateaus.
plateaus. It extends over eight states in India. Some prominent river valleys are given
Th e plateau is located between two mountain below.
ranges, the Western Ghats and the Eastern Tigris–Euphrates Valley
Ghats, each of which rises from its respective
nearby coastal plain and almost converge at the Th e Tigris–Euphrates valley is formed by the
southern tip of India. rivers Tigris and Euphrates as they fl ow in a
Arabian Plateau south-easterly direction through Iraq.
Th e Arabian Plateau is steep in the west but Indus Valley
gently slopes eastward towards the Persian
Th e Indus river and its fi ve tributaries form
Gulf. Th is plateau is intensely dry as it receives
the Indus valley in Pakistan and India.
very little rainfall and has no rivers.
Shan Plateau Ganga–Brahmaputra Valley
Th e Shan Plateau is a crystalline massif Th e Ganga–Brahmaputra valley is formed by
forming the eastern part of Myanmar and a the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra that fl ow
part of the Indo-Malayan mountain system. through India and Bangladesh.
massif: a compact group of mountains
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