Altiplano

[ al-tuh-plah-noh; for 1 also Spanish ahl-tee-plah-naw ]

noun,plural al·ti·pla·nos for 2.
  1. a plateau region in South America, situated in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.

  2. altiplano, Geology. an elevated terrace or plateau sculptured by periglacial geomorphic processes.

Origin of Altiplano

1
First recorded in 1910–15; from Spanish: literally, “high plateau,” equivalent to alti- alti- + plano plain1

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British Dictionary definitions for Altiplano

Altiplano

/ (Spanish altiˈplano) /


noun
  1. a plateau of the Andes, covering two thirds of Bolivia and extending into S Peru: contains Lake Titicaca. Height: 3000 m (10 000 ft) to 3900 m (13 000 ft)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for altiplano

altiplano

[ äl′tĭ-plä ]


  1. A high mountain plateau. The most well-known altiplano extends from Lake Titicaca, in southern Peru, to Lake Poopo in Bolivia, covering a distance of 966 km (600 mi). Its average altitude is 3,658 m (12,000 ft).

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