Distribution

Bordering the deserts, away from the Mediterranean regions and in the interiors continents are the temperate grasslands. Though they lie in the Westerly wind belt, they are so remote from maritime influence that the grasslands are practically treeless. These grasslands are so distinctive in their natural vegetation that, although those which occur in the southern

hemisphere have a much more moderate climate, they are often dealt with together. In the northern hemisphere, the grasslands are far more extensive and are entirely continental. In Eurasia, they are called the Steppes and stretch eastwards from the shores of the Black Sea across the Great Russian plain to the foothills of the Altai Mountains, a distance of well over 2,000 miles. There are isolated sections in the Pustaz of Hungary and the plains of Manchuria. In North America, the grasslands are also quite extensive and are called Prairies. They lie between the foothills of the Rockies and the Great Lakes astride the American Canadian border.

In the case of the Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay, the grasslands extend right to the sea and enjoy much maritime influence. In South Africa, the grasslands are sandwiched between the Drakensberg and the Kalahari Desert; and are further subdivided into the more tropical Bush- veld in the north, and the more temperate High Veld in the south.