Some land is flat. But flat land can be low, or it can be high up. The two kinds have different names.
Key idea
A plain is wide, flat, low land. A plateau is flat land that is high up, with steep sides, like a giant tabletop.
Why it works
A plateau is flat on top, like a plain, but it rises high above the land around it. Rivers can cut deep, steep-sided valleys called canyons into a plateau. The Grand Canyon is cut into the Colorado Plateau.
Worked example: Plain or plateau?
A wide, flat land with farms stretches for miles, low and level. Is it a plain or a plateau?
- It is flat.
- It is low, not raised up with steep sides.
Answer: A plain.
Common mistake
Children think all flat land is a plain. Check the height: a plateau is flat too, but high above the land around it.
For the grown-up. Put a book on the table and a sheet of paper beside it. The paper is a plain (flat and low); the book is a plateau (flat on top, with steep sides).