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Reverted edit by 14.202.242.18 (talk) to last version by Chippla360

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{{Short description|Area of high elevation such as a mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau}}
{{Other uses|Highland (disambiguation)|Upland (disambiguation){{!}}Upland}}
{{Refimprove|date=December 2009}}

'''Highlands''' or '''uplands''' are areas of high elevation such as a [[mountain]]ous region, elevated mountainous [[plateau]] or high [[hill]]s. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills,<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[University of California Museum of Paleontology]] |year=1995 |url=https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/glossary_U.html#upland |title=upland |website=UCMP Glossary}}</ref> typically from {{cvt|300|m|ft}} up to {{cvt|600|m|ft}}, while ''highland'' is usually reserved for ranges of low [[mountain]]s. However, the two terms are interchangeable and also include regions that are transitional between hilly and mountainous terrain.

==Highlands internationally==
[[File: Gleann Afraig is Beinn Fhada.jpg|alt=|thumb|Glen Affric in the Scottish Highlands]]

Probably the best-known area officially or unofficially referred to as ''highlands'' in the [[Anglosphere]] is the [[Scottish Highlands]] in [[northern Scotland]], the mountainous region north and west of the [[Highland Boundary Fault]]. The [[Highland (council area)|Highland]] [[council area]] is a [[local government (Scotland)|local government]] area in the Scottish Highlands and Britain's largest local government area. Other highland or upland areas reaching 400 m or higher in the United Kingdom include the [[Southern Uplands]] in Scotland, the [[Pennines]], [[North York Moors]], [[Dartmoor]] and [[Exmoor]] in [[England]], and the [[Cambrian Mountains]] in [[Wales]].

Many countries and regions also have areas referred to as ''highlands''. These include parts of [[Central Afghan highlands|Afghanistan]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]],<ref>{{Cite book|title=Contemporary Visions in Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the First International Seminar of Young Tibetologists|publisher=Serindia Publications, Inc.|year=2009|isbn=978-1-932476-45-3|editor-last=Dotson|editor-first=Brandon|edition=1st|location=Chicago|page=189|chapter=The Tibetan Gesar Epic as Oral Literature|quote=... for the highlanders for eastern Tibet|editor-last2=Gurung|editor-first2=Kalsang Norbu|editor-last3=Halkias|editor-first3=Georgios|editor-last4=Myatt|editor-first4=Tim}}</ref> [[Ethiopian Highlands|Ethiopia]], [[Canada]], [[White Highlands|Kenya]], [[Eritrean Highlands|Eritrea]], [[Yemen]], [[Ghana]], [[Nigeria]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Syria]], [[Turkey]] and [[Cantabria]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ross |first1=Mars |last2=Stonehewer-Cooper |first2=H. |title=The Highlands of Cantabria; or, Three days from England |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington |location=London |language=en |date=1885 |ol=20620939M}}</ref>

Similar terms used in other countries include ''high country'', used in [[high country (New Zealand)|New Zealand]], [[Snowy Mountains|New South Wales]], [[Great Dividing Range|Victoria]], [[Central Highlands (Tasmania)|Tasmania]] and Southern Queensland in [[Australia]], and parts of the [[United States]] (notably [[Western North Carolina]]), [[highveld]], used in [[South Africa]] and ''[[Roof of the World]]'',<ref>{{Cite book|title=The hotel on the roof of the world: from Miss Tibet to Shangri-La|last=Alec|first=Le Sueur|date=2003-01-01|publisher=RDR Books|isbn=1-57143-101-2|oclc=845721671}}</ref> used for [[Tibet]].

The [[central Afghan highlands]] are in the center of [[Afghanistan]], mostly located between 2,000 and 3,000 m above sea level. They have a very cold winter, and a short and cool summer. These highlands have mountain pastures during summer (''sardsīr''), watered by many small streams and rivers. There are also pastures available during winter in the neighboring warm lowlands (''garmsīr''), which makes the region ideal for seasonal [[transhumance]].

The highlands in Australia are often above the elevation of 500 m. These areas often receive snowfall in winter. Most of the highlands lead up to large alpine or sub-alpine mountainous regions such as the [[Australian Alps]], [[Snowy Mountains]], [[Great Dividing Range]], [[Northern Tablelands (New South Wales)|Northern Tablelands]] and [[Blue Mountains (Australia)|Blue Mountains]]. The most mountainous region of [[Tasmania]] is the [[Central Highlands (Tasmania)|Central Highlands]] area, which covers most of the central-western parts of the state. Many of these areas are highly elevated alpine regions.

The [[Ozarks]] cover nearly {{convert|120000|km2|sigfig=2}}, making it the most extensive highland region between the Appalachians and Rockies. This region contains some of the oldest rocks in North America.

The spine of the mountains stretches across the island of New Guinea, forming the densely populated highlands of [[Papua New Guinea]], and the [[Highland Papua]], [[Indonesia]].

[[File: Puncakjaya.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Puncak Jaya]] is the highest mountain in [[Indonesia]] and [[Oceania]]]]

The [[Central Highlands of Sri Lanka]] are rain forests, where the elevation reaches 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level. The [[Sri Lanka montane rain forests]] represent the montane and submontane moist forests above 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in the central highlands and in the [[Knuckles mountain range]]. Half of Sri Lanka's endemic flowering plants and 51 percent of the endemic vertebrates are restricted to this ecoregion.

The [[highlands of Iceland]] cover about 40% of the country and are mostly inhospitable to humans. They are generally considered to be any land above 500 m.

The mountainous natural region of the [[Thai highlands]] is found in Northern Thailand.

The [[Cameron Highlands]] is a highland area and [[hill station]] in [[Pahang]], Malaysia.

[[Shillong]] in [[India]] in the state of [[Meghalaya]] is a hill station that is surrounded by highlands. Officers of the [[British Raj]] referred to Shillong as "The Scotland of the East".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rao|first1=Sachin|title=Travel: Shillong, India - 'Scotland of the east'|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/travel-shillong-india-scotland-of-the-east-1-3481504|access-date=19 February 2017|work=www.scotsman.com|language=en}}</ref>

== Other planets ==
'''Highland continents'''—or [[Planetary nomenclature#Terra|terrae]]—are areas of topographically unstable [[terrain]], with high peaks and valleys. They resemble highlands on [[Earth]], but the term is applied to much larger areas on other planets. They can be found on [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]], [[list of terrae on Venus|Venus]],<ref>{{cite web|title=The Highlands of Venus|url=http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/venusland.html|website=HyperPhysics|access-date=18 July 2014}}</ref> [[list of terrae on Mars|Mars]], and the [[List of lunar features#Terrae|Moon]].

==See also==
* [[Highlander (disambiguation)]]
* [[Plateau]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Highland}}

[[Category:Landforms]]
[[Category:Highlands| ]]

Highland - Revision history

imported>Primefac: Reverted edit by 14.202.242.18 (talk) to last version by Chippla360