The Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau is the highest plateau on Earth. It sits in central Asia at an average height of about 15,000 feet above sea level. People call it the Roof of the World. The plateau is surrounded by the tallest mountain ranges on Earth, including the Himalayas.

The Roof of the World

The Tibetan Plateau covers about 970,000 square miles. That is about one-quarter the size of the United States. The air is thin and cold because the land is so high. Many lakes dot the plateau, and large rivers like the Yangtze and Mekong start here.

Life on the Plateau

Few trees grow on the high plateau. Tough grasses and small shrubs cover the land. Yaks, wild asses, and snow leopards live here. Tibetan people have adapted to life at high altitude over thousands of years. Many are herders who raise yaks for milk, meat, and wool.

Fun Facts

• The Tibetan Plateau is sometimes called the Third Pole because it has the most ice outside the Arctic and Antarctic.
• Major rivers that start on the Tibetan Plateau provide water for billions of people in Asia.
• The plateau was pushed up when India crashed into Asia millions of years ago.

Did You Know?

The Tibetan Plateau is so high and so large that it changes weather patterns all across Asia and even affects the monsoon rains!