Plateau of Tibet: A Warm Up

The Plateau of Tibet is often called the "Roof of the World."  It has the distinction of being the largest plateau on Earth.  (Wait, what's a plateau again?  I forget.)  It includes the autonomous region of Tibet along with regions of southwest China.  The region lies between the Kunlun Mountains to its north and the Himalayas and Karakoram Ranges to its south and southwest.  It represents about 965,00 square miles or 2.5 million square kilometers.  It is an important source for numerous important Asian rivers including the Mekong in SE Asia, the Indus and Brahmaputra Rivers in S Asia, and the Yangtze River in E Asia.

Examine the three photos below from Wikipedia.  Choose ONE photo and explain why geographers refer to this plateau as the roof of the world.

Photo #1

Photo #2--a map

Photo #3