Plateaus are classified according to their surrounding environment:
- Intermontane plateaus are the highest in the world, bordered by mountains. The Tibetan Plateau is one such plateau.
- Piedmont plateaus are bordered on one side by mountains and on the other by a plain or sea.
- Continental plateaus are bordered on all sides by the plains or seas, forming away from mountains.
- Volcanic plateaus are produced by volcanic activity.
- Dissected plateaus are highly eroded plateaus cut by rivers and broken by deep narrow valleys.