Edwards Plateau

Area of rolling and hilly country in the southwest of Texas, the southernmost extension of the Great Plains. Edwards Plateau is situated south and southeast of the arid Llano Estacado, at altitudes ranging from 230 m/750 ft to over 765 m/2,500 ft, and covers a total area of 100,000 sq km/38,610 sq mi. The Colorado, Concho, Nueces, Guadalupe, and other rivers rise here and flow east.

The eastern boundary of Edwards Plateau is formed by the Balcones Escarpment. Extending between the Rio Grande in the south and the Colorado River and the Osage Plains in the north, the plateau has a limestone-based soil and characteristic brushy groundcover that makes it ideal grazing land. Its goat, sheep, and cattle ranches are extensive, and it is also noted for its hunting. In the east, it includes the Hill Country of Texas, and in the southwest the similar Stockton Plateau extends beyond the Big Bend toward El Paso.