Source: VII NCERT Geography Chapter 9
- Grassland can be defined as a region where grasses form the dominant type of plant life.
- Grasslands make up almost a quarter of the total land surface.
- The types of plants that grow here greatly depend on what the climate and soil are like.
- As climate plays an important role in the formation of grasslands, it is generally used as a basis to divide the world’s grasslands into two broad categories: those that occur in the temperate region and those that occur in the tropical regions.
THE PRAIRIES:
- The temperate grasslands of North America are known as the Prairies.
- It is a region of flat, gently sloping or hilly land.
- For the most part, prairies are treeless but, near the low lying plains, flanking river valleys, woodlands can be found.
- Tall grass, upto two metres high, dominates, the landscape.
- It is actually a “sea of grass.”
- The word Prairie originated from Latin word priata which means meadow.
- The prairies are bound by the Rocky Mountains in the West and the Great Lakes in the East.
- In the USA, the area is drained by the tributaries of Mississippi and the Canadian prairies are drained by the tributaries of Saskatchewan Rivers.
- The grasslands of Prairies were the home of native Americans often called “Red Indians”. They were the actual habitant of the continent.
- The Prairies were home of other tribes also like the Apache, the Crow, the Cree and the Pawnee.
- Chinook is a hot wind that blows in winter and therefore raises the temperature within a short time. This increase in temperature results in the melting of snow, making pasture land available for grazing of animals.
- The Prairies are also known as the “Granaries of the world,” due to the huge surplus of wheat production.
- Dairy farming is another major industry.
- Important cities in the American prairies are Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Kansas and Denver. In the Canadian prairies the important cities are Edmonton, Saskatoon, Calgary and Winnipeg.
THEVELDS
- The temperate grasslands of South Africa are called the Velds.
- Velds are rolling plateaus with varying heights ranging from 600 to 1100 m.
- It is bound by the Drakensburg Mountains on the east.
- To its west lies the Kalahari desert.
- The tributaries of rivers Orange and Limpopo drain the region.
- The Veld name was given by the Dutch settlers before South Africa was colonised by the British.
- Velds are known for cattle rearing and mining.
- The soils are not very fertile in the velds due to the presence of discontinuous grasses exposing barren surface.
- However where the land is fertile crops are grown.
- The main crops are maize, wheat, barley, oats and potato.
- Cash crops like tobacco, sugarcane and cotton are also grown.
- Sheep rearing is the most important occupation of the people.
- Sheep is bred mainly for wool and has given rise to the wool industry in the velds. Merino sheep is a popular species and their wool is very warm.
- Gold and diamond mining are major occupations of people of this region. Johannesburg is known for being the gold capital of the world.
- Kimberley is famous for its diamond mines.
