It is included in the "upper outer temporal lobe region" and is located on the upper side of the upper temporal winding , i.e. on the lower wall of the lateral channel. The area lies behind the primary auditory cortex itself (BA 41,42) and includes the secondary auditory cortex (A II) of BA 22 and adjacent parts of BA 22, which in the dominant hemisphere (usually the left) is part of the sensory speech center (Wernicke's field).
Planum temporale is usually most widely distributed in the dominant hemisphere and is considered a specialized bark area of importance for the understanding of spoken language.