The Kuriyama River (38.8 kilometres (24.1 mi)) flows eastward from the central area of the plateau east of Narita International Airport to the Pacific Ocean.

[7] The shorter Kido River (21.5 kilometres (13.4 mi)) similarly flows eastward and empties into the Pacific Ocean in the city of Sanmu.

Lake Teganuma originally occupied a large area to the north of the plateau, but has narrowed in modern times due to being sealed off from the Tone River and land reclamation projects.

[8] Lake Inbanuma was created by the natural damming of a small valley in the Shimōsa Plateau, and originally covered 21.3 square kilometres (8.2 sq mi).

[11] The plateau was historically located in Shimōsa Province, after which it was named, and was a productive agricultural area prior to the industrialization of Japan.

The inland water routes from Chōshi were developed to supply rice, marine products, and vegetables directly to the capital at Edo.

Those colonies named after development order, such as: During the militarization of northern Chiba Prefecture that began in the early 20th century, the eastern area of the plateau was declared a military zone.

[14] Most of the military facilities and industrial areas on the Shimōsa Plateau were destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II.

[17] Post-war industrial planning resulted in large-scale development of coastal areas on the eastern Shimōsa Plateau along Tokyo Bay.

[17] The development of sprawling port facilities, originally centered on the city of Chiba, culminated in the establishment of Keiyō Industrial Zone.

The construction of Narita International Airport between 1972 and 1978 resulted in further economic development and population increase on the central Shimōsa Plateau.