The surface of Venus is an extremely hot, dry, and volcanic landscape dominated by gently rolling plains formed mainly from basaltic lava flows. It features large lowlands and two extensive highland regions roughly the size of Australia and South America. The highest mountain, Maxwell Montes, rises over 7 miles (11 km) high, surpassing Mount Everest

. Venus's surface temperature averages around 464 °C (867 °F), hot enough to melt lead, and the atmospheric pressure at the surface is about 92-95 times that of Earth’s, creating an incredibly harsh environment

. The thick atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide, creates a strong greenhouse effect and prevents direct visual observation of the surface, but radar mapping has revealed many geological features. The surface is geologically young, estimated to be less than 500 million years old, due to volcanic resurfacing events that have covered many impact craters with lava flows. Venus has relatively few craters compared to other rocky planets because its dense atmosphere burns up many meteoroids before they reach the ground

. Notable surface features include:

• Vast volcanic plains with numerous volcanoes and lava flows
• Large volcanic domes, including "pancake" domes with flat tops and steep sides, and "tick" domes with radiating spurs
• Highlands such as Ishtar Terra and Aphrodite Terra
• Unique geological formations like tesserae (complex ridged terrain), coronae (circular fracture rings), and arachnoids (spider web-like fractures)

The surface is rocky and barren, with slow-moving winds that, despite their low speed, exert significant force due to the dense atmosphere, moving dust and small stones

. In summary, Venus's surface is a hostile volcanic world with extreme heat and pressure, extensive lava plains, high mountains, and unique geological features shaped by intense volcanic and tectonic activity