Steppe

In physical geography, a steppe (from Russian step') is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally reckoned as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said to be the norm in the steppe. It may be semi-desert, or covered with grass or shrubs, or both depending on the season. The term is also used to denote the climate encountered in such regions, too dry to support a forest but not so dry as to make it a desert.

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The world's largest zone of steppes are found in central Russia and neighbouring republics of Central Asia. The steppes begin east of the Volga river and extend through desert or semi-desert south of the Ural Mountains and to the north and east of the Caspian Sea. To the east of the Caspian Sea they extend through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to the mountain ranges of Mongolia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. To the north on the eastern side of the Urals is the forested West Siberian Plain which extends nearly to the Arctic Ocean.

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Another large steppe area is located in the central United States and south-central Canada. The High Plains steppe is the westernmost part of the Great Plains region.

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Geography: Geography is the scientific study of the locational and spatial variation of both physical, biological and human phenomena on Earth. The word derives from the Greek words γη or γεια ("Earth") and γραφειν ("to describe" and "to wr...

Russian: Russian can mean:...

Plain: In geography, a plain is a large area of land with relatively low relief. Plains may be more suitable for farming than plateaus or mountains....

Steppe related Images and Photos (experimental)

Evening on the Steppe with Camel

Rainbow over the Steppe Near Old Soviet Nuclear Testing Area