A tableland is a large, flat area of land that sits high above the surrounding countryside, like a massive table lifted up from the ground. Imagine a mountain that someone sliced straight across the top with a giant knife, leaving a broad, level surface hundreds or thousands of feet in the air. That's a tableland.

Tablelands form over millions of years through erosion and geological forces. Rivers and wind wear away softer rock around harder layers, leaving these elevated plateaus behind. The Colorado Plateau in the American Southwest is a famous tableland, stretching across parts of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. South Africa's interior is dominated by a vast tableland that covers much of the country.

Because they're so high up, tablelands often have different weather and vegetation than the lowlands around them. A tableland might be cool and forested while the valleys below bake in desert heat. Farmers sometimes prefer tablelands for growing certain crops because the elevation provides better drainage and cooler temperatures.

Geographers also call these formations plateaus, which means the same thing. You might read about the Tibetan Plateau in Asia, often called “the roof of the world” because it's the highest and largest tableland on Earth, averaging over 14,000 feet above sea level.