Where is the land as flat as a pancake?

Think of a warm pancake on your plate. Run your finger across the top. It feels smooth and flat, with no big bumps at all.

Now think of a walk outside. The path goes up a hill and down again. So where in the world is the land as flat as a pancake?

Big flat lands are called plains, which means wide open land with no hills. A plain stretches out farther than you could walk in a whole day.

On a plain, no hills block the view. The land runs on and on. Far away, the sky seems to touch the ground.

Some of the biggest plains lie in the middle of North America. Tall grass grows there, and the wind makes it wave.

Even a plain has small bumps and dips. One place in the world is flatter still. Here is a hint: you sprinkle it on your dinner. What do you think covers that flattest land?

It is salt! The flattest land in the world is a salt flat, which means a wide, dry place covered in hard white salt. It crunches under your boots like crispy snow.

The flattest one of all is in South America. It lies high in the mountains, in a country called Bolivia. It is so wide that it looks like a white sea with no end.

This salt flat is flatter than any pancake. When rain falls, a thin sheet of water stays on top. There is no hill for the water to run down. It shines like a giant mirror, and you can see the clouds in it.

The land is as flat as a pancake on wide plains. The flattest land of all is a salt flat in Bolivia.

After the rain, the shining white salt is like a giant mirror. Far away, the sky and the ground meet in one smooth line. There are clouds above, and clouds below.