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
  • Another group heads by boat to the Caves, a flat grassy plateau where some cattle are allowed to grow feral.
    NPR, NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
  • The Knicks lost the 1994 NBA Finals to Houston and were able to surpass the 50-win plateau the following season.
    CBS News, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Armed with lessons learned from a painful past, women put up a quiet but resilient fight to preserve the dignity of their lives and home in the breathtaking Montenegrin highlands.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Ronnie Moyers heard the bird hammering in the woods one morning in late February, several weeks before the species usually shows up in Virginia’s western highlands.
    Sarah Kaplan, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Enter a ravine and follow gradual switchbacks to a small mesa at the top.
    Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Tectonic movement has shaped San Diego County into a rough collection of valleys, foothills, urban canyons and mesas.
    The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • It's located on the Cumberland Plateau — a 450-mile tableland that covers much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, with soaring sandstone walls, large boulders, and dramatic overhangs.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 22 July 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Altiplano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altiplano. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.

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