Sri Lanka's Central Highlands peak at Pidurutalagala (2,524 m)—the island's highest—with 12 peaks over 2,000 m in the Hakgala range. The Knuckles Mountains in the north rise to 1,800 m, ancient Gondwanan granite from 500 million years ago with 37 waterfalls. Formed by Indian plate separation 100 million years ago, the Han River (80 km) dissects plateaus. Coastal plains average 50 m, with Yala's dunes up to 30 m. This tropical topography includes 25 protected areas with Sri Lankan leopards and 2,000 plant species.
