a plateau region in South America, situated in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.
Geology. altiplano, an elevated terrace or plateau sculptured by periglacial geomorphic processes.
First recorded in 1910–15; from Spanish: literally, “high plateau,” equivalent to alti- alti- + plano plain 1
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
High up on the Bolivian Altiplano, Potosí was once a glorious “imperial city,” deemed by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to be the “Treasure of the World.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The researchers started their demonstration with water samples from five high-altitude Andean lakes more than 2.3 miles above sea level in the Chilean Altiplano.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2024
A 2019 study found that superbolts are concentrated in three specific regions around the world—the North Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Altiplano in South America—and tend to peak from November to February.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 23, 2023
In 2014, Guzmán was arrested after a 13-year manhunt and sent to the Altiplano maximum security jail in Mexico.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2023
I learned that an altruistic group had offered reflecting parabolas to the people living at the Altiplano in Bolivia.
From The BYU Solar Cooker/Cooler by Jones, Steven E.
The biggest flaw of Picca, I thought, was Zarate’s attempt to position the Peruvian snack causa into a sort of altiplano sushi with cold mashed potatoes at its base instead of rice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2017
It was in Bolivia in 1994, above 12,000 feet, on the altiplano between the ranges of the Andes Mountains, he said.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 22, 2017
La Paz, in the west, sits on the altiplano, a vast plateau whose altitude prevents many trees from growing there, leaving the wind free to rip across its expanse.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 4, 2016
That said, domestic quinoa sells out quickly after every harvest, so for the time being quinoa lovers will be importing most of theirs from the altiplano.
From Slate ● Jan. 25, 2013
In northern Peru a third range rises between them; the altiplano, a scoop of high plains some five hundred miles long, fills the gap in the south.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
