The Temperate Grasslands

You have read about the two distinct climatic regions of the Tropical Zone - the tropical hot-wet forest regions and the tropical deserts. The zones lying between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle (in the Northern Hemisphere) and between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle (in the Southern Hemisphere) are called the Temperate Zones. The climate here is neither very hot as in Tropical Zone nor very cold like the Frigid Zone. 

In the temperate zones of the northern and the southern hemispheres, there are vast areas which are covered by tall grasses. There are very few trees grown here. These grassy areas are known as the Grasslands. Grasslands are present in all the continents. But in different places, their names are also different. 

In the Northern Hemisphere, there are the Steppes in Eurasia which extend from Mongolia and north-west China in Asia up to Romania and Hungary in Europe through Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and parts of Russia. The Prairies in North America cover another big area of temperate grassland stretching from Texas state of the USA up to Alberta province of Canada. 

In the Southern Hemisphere, the Pampas in Argentina (South America), the Velds and Savannas in Africa and the Downs in Australia are found.

The Prairies - To learn about the temperate grasslands and the life of the people there, let us study the Prairies in detail. The vast stretch of flat land located in the interior of North America is known as the Prairies. The Prairies are vast flat and treeless areas located far away from the ocean. 

Location - The Prairies are located in the central part of the United States of America and parts of Canada. This region consists of flat or hilly land covered by tall grass. The farms here are very big. They stretch over thousands of acres. The important places in the Prairies are Chicago, Dallas, Texas, New Mexico, Illinois, Colorado, Oklahoma and Minneapolis in the USA. In Canada, the three provinces Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are called the Prairie Provinces. The Mississippi and the Missouri are the two rivers which flow through the Prairies. 

Climate - The climate of the Prairies is influenced by its location. Because it is located east of the Rocky mountains, the rainfall decreases from east to west. Being located far from the oceans causes a wide range of temperatures. Summers are warm with temperatures averaging between 20°C to 25°C. Winters are cold with temperatures averaging between —12°C to —17°C.

Vegetation - The Prairies are treeless areas. Although the climate in the Prairies is not as dry as the tropical deserts, rainfall is not enough for the growth of trees as in the tropical rain forests. Therefore, the natural vegetation is mainly short and soft grass thus giving it the name grasslands. The soil and climate of the Prairies are most suitable for the growth of hardy grasses like wheat and maize but not for trees. The Prairies are the biggest wheat-growing areas of the world. The production of wheat is so large that the people have to export the surplus wheat to other countries. In the Prairies, only a few trees like willow are found on the banks of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. 

Wildlife - The Prairies are fertile grasslands; hence, a large number of grazing animals are found here. Grasslands do not provide much cover for its animals so most of the large grazers are fast runners as this is their way of escaping from the predators. Animals that are found here include skunks, rabbits, wolves, horses, badgers, coyotes, foxes, mice, antelopes and prairie dogs. Common birds which are seen here include bustard, owls, eagles, hawks and falcons. Rattlesnakes and bull snakes are also commonly found. Bison were commonly found in the Prairies earlier, but they are almost extin They have been killed for their meat by the people. 

Agriculture - People here are mainly engaged in farming. They have converted grasslands into farmlands. All the farm work is done with the help of modern machines. The ploughing of land, the sowing of seeds, harvesting, threshing and winnowing - all these are done with machines. In each farm, there are small homesteads where the farmer's family and a few farm workers stay. Wheat is generally stored in barns called elevators. The main crops  grown by the farmers are wheat,maize, barley, rye, oats and grasses like alfalfa.  The Southern Prairies are the main cotton growing areas of the USA.

Cattle Rearing - The western part of the Prairies is hilly. The soil here is coarse, rough and less fertile. The climate and soil are suitable for growing grasses only.  The -people in this part of the Prairies rear animals instead of farming. They graze their animals on Open grasslands. They  have big cattle farms called ranches where  the cattle ate reared and fed on nutritious alfalfa glass. Alfalfa is a good quality fodder for cattle. The cattle are reared mainly for beef and milk. The dairy industry is very well developed here. Machines are used for milking the cows and processing various milk products. Milk, cheese and butter are exported in large quantities. Milk is also exported in condensed or dry form. The cattle are slaughtered in big slaughter houses. The meat is packed under hygienic conditions with machines before being exported. 

Industries - The main industries are meat-packaging ore-crushing, flour mills and oil-extracting. Many minerals are found in the Prairies. Ore-crushing factories and oil refineries are well developed. Lignite, coal and mineral oil are mined in large quantities here. Meat-packing factories and flour mills are in abundance in the Prairies. Dairy products are sent to other parts of the country for processing. After processing, much of the dairy products are exported to the European markets. Chicago in the USA is for  the largest meat-packing center in the world. It is situated on Lake Michigan. Beef is the staple food of most Americans. The production of beef is so high that it is exported to European countries. 

Lifestyle of the People - Although, the people of the Prairies are mainly engaged in agriculture and rearing cattle, they lead a luxurious life with all modern facilities. They have cars, air-conditioned houses and all the modern means of communication.

Important Cities - One of the important towns of this region is Winnipeg in Canada. Oklahoma, Omaha and Chicago are equally important cities in the USA.

The Temperate Grasslands

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