Information AboutSteppe |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT STEPPE | |
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In physical Geography , a steppe ( Russian '''степь''' or '''step'''' and pronounced in English as ''step'') is a Plain without Tree s (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a Prairie , although a prairie is generally considered as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said to be the normal in the steppe. It may be semi- Desert , or covered with Grass or Shrub s, 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. They are usually found in areas of the world less prone to moisture. The soil is considered too moist to be a desert, but also too dry to support normal forest life. The climate of steppes can be summarized by hot summers and cold winters, averaging 250-500 mm (10-20 inches) of rain every year. Plant life is usually greater than one foot tall, including the Blue Grama and Buffalo Grass , Cacti , Sagebrush , Speargrass , and other small relatives of the Sunflower . Animal life includes but isn't limited to the Corsac Fox , Mongolian Gerbil , Saiga Antelope , Northern Lynx , and the Saker Falcon . The world's largest zone of steppes is 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 . Another large steppe area is located in the central United States and western Canada . The High Plains steppe is the westernmost part of the Great Plains region. |
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