Off each coast of a continent lies a plateu called an

The continental shelf.

Explanation:

The continental shelf goes from the coast of the continent to the place where it goes to the deep ocean bottom. Even though the shelves are placed under the water, they are part of the continent. The real border of the continent is the border of the continental shelf, not its border of the coast. The average width of the continental shelf is 65 kilometers.

ahaha 8

my answer has to be at least 20 characters so here are the rest of the characters lol