Plateau is a Nigerian state located in the North Central geopolitical zone. Its capital city is Jos. Officially nicknamed the "Home of Peace and Tourism", the state has a population of around 4.7 million people.

Located between latitude 8°24' N and 10°30' N and longitude 8°32' E and 10°38' E, Plateau State encompasses a range of hills and rock formations of the eponymous Jos Plateau, where bare rocks scatter across grasslands. The state's altitude ranges from around 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) to a peak of 1,829 metres (6,001 ft) above sea level in the Shere Hills near Jos.

Although situated in the tropical zone, the higher altitude gives Plateau State a near-temperate climate, with an average temperature between 13 and 22 °C. Harmattan winds cause the coldest weather between December and February, with the warmest temperatures usually in the dry season months of March and April. The mean annual rainfall varies between 1,317 mm (52 in) in the southern part to 1,460 mm (57 in) on the plateau, with the highest rainfall during the wet season in July and August. The cooler climate has led to a reduced incidence of some tropical diseases such as malaria. The Jos Plateau is the source of many rivers in northern Nigeria, including the Kaduna, Gongola, Hadeja and Damaturu rivers.

Both Plateau State in general and the Jos Plateau in particular are thought to be formed on areas of younger granite intruding through an area of older granite rock. These younger granites, thought to be about 160 million years old, create the Jos Plateau's unusual scenery. There are numerous hillocks with gentle slopes emerging from the ground like mushrooms scattered with huge boulders. Volcanic activity 50 million years ago created numerous volcanoes and vast basaltic plateaus from lava flows, as well as regions of mainly narrow and deep valleys and pediments (surfaces made smooth by erosion) from rounded hills with sheer rock faces. Years of tin and columbite mining have left the state strewn with deep gorges and lakes.

Plateau State is officially nicknamed The Home of Peace and Tourism. Although the tourism sector is not thriving due to perennial security issues and state government failure, its natural endowments are still attractions to tourists, mostly from within Nigeria.

Natural resources in the state include: barite, bauxite, bentonite, bismuth, cassiterite, clay, coal, emeralds, fluoride, granite, iron ore, kaolin, lead / zinc, marble, molybdenite, pyrochlore, salt, tantalite / columbite, and tin / wolfram.

Plateau state has been adjusted to its present borders many times. Colonial manipulation was from a desire to protect the railway construction and guarantee safe passage of mined tin to the coast. There was also an attempt initially to create a province of largely non-Muslims under one Resident. Later alterations came from strong local desires for self-government.

The British began to exert colonial control of Nigeria in the early 20th century. At that time, much of Plateau State was part of Bauchi Province. In 1926, Plateau Province, made up of Jos and Pankshin Divisions, was carved out of Bauchi. The border changed several times in subsequent years as the government sought not to split ethnic groups. In May 1967, Benue and Plateau Provinces were merged to form the large Benue-Plateau State. At this time Nigeria had twelve states.