Upland describes land that sits at a higher elevation than the surrounding area, especially the gently rolling hills and plateaus between mountains and lowlands. When pioneers traveled west across America, they often had to cross upland regions: areas higher than river valleys but not as high as mountain peaks.

The word helps us distinguish between different types of terrain. Coastal areas sit at sea level, river valleys lie low where water flows, mountains rise dramatically, and upland regions occupy the middle ground. In Scotland, the Scottish Uplands form a region of hills and moorland between the Highlands and the coastal lowlands. Many animals thrive in upland habitats because these areas offer a mix of grasslands, forests, and streams.

Farmers sometimes prefer upland areas for grazing livestock because the land drains well and stays drier than valley bottoms, though upland soil tends to be thinner and less fertile than the rich earth found in river valleys. Upland also appears in plant and animal names: upland sandpipers nest in prairies and grasslands rather than near water, and upland cotton grows in drier regions rather than in river bottoms.

The word can work as a noun (“The sheep grazed in the uplands”) or an adjective (“The upland meadows were covered in wildflowers”).