According to DigoPaul, the term plateau, also referred to as plateau, refers to a plateau that is located at a very high altitude and is characterized by having a significant extension. Typically, the altiplano is located between two not so old mountain ranges, taking into account the geological eras.
The highlands have their origin from the non-simultaneous appearance of two mountain ranges that are parallel. Between both chains, once they rise, plateaus are generated through the accumulation of sediments or volcanic-type materials. These plateaus are the highlands.
The Andean altiplano, for example, develops between southern Peru, northern Chile, western Bolivia and northwest Argentina. With an average altitude of 3,800 meters above sea level, this plateau has a transcendence from the historical point of view because it was the place of settlement of important pre – Columbian cultures.
In the Andean highlands there are several regions protected by natural relevance. The Lake Titicaca National Reserve and the Sajama National Park in Bolivia and the Llullaillaco and Lauca national parks in Chile are among these spaces. If we focus on the Bolivian plateau, we can say that there are some sixty municipalities in the plateau of the departments of Potosí, Oruro and La Paz.
The Las Vicuñas National Reserve, the Isluga Volcano National Park or the Eduardo Abaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve are other of the most significant enclaves of this Andean Altiplano. An enclave in which, among other curiosities, we can emphasize that the birth of the Tiahuanaco culture, the domestic cultivation of potatoes and even the domestication of animals such as the llama were allowed.
Precisely that animal predominates in this enclave, where the most significant fauna is also made up of the field mouse, the suri, the fox, the Andean flamingo, the quirquincho or the condor.
The largest city in the Andean Altiplano is none other than El Alto, which is located in the territory of Bolivia and has approximately 1,180,000 inhabitants. It belongs to the department of La Paz and is located about 4,150 meters above sea level.
The Armenian plateau, meanwhile, spans several regions of Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan, in addition to the entire surface of Armenia. Its surface is around 400,000 square kilometers.
In Spain there is the so-called Altiplano de Granada, which houses what are the regions of Baza and Huéscar. It has important high plateaus with more than 1,000 meters above sea level as well as a remarkable practically desert plain. In this territory they take special relevance from towns such as Benamaurel to highly valued landscape spaces such as the Sierra de Castril Natural Park and the Sierra de Baza Natural Park.
It is considered that one of the first men to inhabit Europe lived in this plateau millions of years ago and also has the distinction of maintaining caves that were the residence of Andalusian individuals. Caves that today have become tourist accommodation.