Definition of altiplanonext
as in plateau
a broad flat area of elevated land a cold wind from the Andes swept across the altiplano

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Recent Examples of altiplano Built in the late 19 th century to transport the altiplano’s abundant metals and minerals, the railway line once ran from Bolivia’s de facto capital La Paz to the Pacific port of Antofagasta in Chile. The Editors, Outside, 31 Aug. 2025 Tiwanaku communities first emerged in an altiplano, or high plain, of the Andes called the Titicaca Basin, named after Lake Titicaca. Gina Park, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025 The landscape changed around me; condensing from plains, desert, and mountains into the jungles of Central America, then unfolding in reverse, into the expanse of the altiplano. J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2022 The world's largest salt flat covers 4,000 square miles of Bolivian altiplano. Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2021 In the Chilean altiplano above 12,000 feet, Meiburg spends one of the coldest nights of his life in a sleeping bag on the edge of a salt lagoon, staking out mountain caracaras known for working in groups to flip over heavy flat stones in search of edible creatures. Paul Kvinta, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2021 The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020 Which is why Steve Ruff, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University and a key player in the Home Plate analysis, traveled thousands of miles to El Tatio, a series of hot springs in the rare air of Chile’s altiplano. Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for altiplano
Noun
  • There’s more to do until the house is move-in ready, but reaching this plateau is very satisfying.
    Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 6 June 2026
  • Unfortunately, Long was plagued by injuries, including a tibial plateau fracture, and never played a down for the Chiefs.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • West Highland Way, Scotland — Easy village-to-village walking through the western highlands.
    Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
  • Beauchamp tripping back in time, lost and separated in the highlands of 18th century Scotland.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • Riders make their way through a mesa area on Tatooine with options to choose three or four branching paths.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
  • Latinos have always been an intrinsic feature of the Western Slope’s socioeconomic landscape, as ubiquitous as the area’s mountains, mesas and canyons.
    Ernesto Sagás, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Noun
  • Pedro Cervantes painted jewellike vistas of New Mexico’s tablelands.
    John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The tableland was formed by volcanic eruptions about 700,000 years ago, according to the Bishop Chamber of Commerce and Information Center.
    Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Altiplano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altiplano. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.

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