Geography(Chap-9) Life in The Temperate Grasslands

Geography(Chap-9)                 Life in The Temperate Grasslands

Ø  Grasslands can be defined as a region where grasses form the dominant type of plant life as the trees are to the forests.

Ø  Grassland make up almost a quarter of the total land surface.

Ø  The types of plants that grown in the grasslands totally depends upon its climate and soil type.

Ø  On the basis of climate worlds grasslands divided into two broad categories: those that occur in the temperate region and those that occur in the tropical region.

·         The Prairies

Ø  The temperate grasslands of North America are known as the Prairies.

Ø  The word ‘Prairie’ is originated from Latin word ‘Priate’ which means meadow.

Ø  Prairie is a region of flat, gently sloping or hilly land. Most of the parts of the Prairies are tress less but, near the low lying plains, flanking river valleys, woodlands are found.

Ø  Tall grass up to 2 meters high, dominates the landscape. So, it is also known as ‘Sea of grass’.

Ø  The Prairies of North America are bounded by Rocky mountains in the West and the Great  Lakes in the East. It covered parts of United States of America and parts of Canada.

Ø  The grasslands of Prairies were the home of American Indians, more popularly known as ‘Blackfoot Indians’. The Prairies also home of other tribes like Apache, the Crow, the Cree and the Pawnee.

·         Climate

Ø  Being located at the centre of North America, the climate is of continental type with extreme temperature.

Ø  In summer, the warmth temperature of this area is around 20’C, while in winter it is -20’C, as recorded at Winnipeg, Canada.

Ø  In winters a thick blanket of snow covers this region.

Ø  The annual rainfall is of moderate type and is ideal for the growth of grass.

Ø  Due to the absence of the north-south barrier, a local wind ‘Chinook’ blows here.

Ø  Chinook is a hot wind that blows in winter and raises the temperature for a short time. This temperature results in the melting of snow, making pasture land available for grazing.

·         Flora & Fauna

Ø  Prairies are practically tree-less. Trees such as willows, alders and poplars grow where water is available.

Ø  Places that receive rainfall of over  50 cm, are suitable for farming as the soil is fertile.

Ø  Though the major crop of this area is maize, other crops including potatoes, soybean, cotton, alfa-alfa also grown here.

Ø  Areas of little rainfall or unreliable, grasses are short and sparse. These areas are suitable for cattle rearing.

Ø  Large cattle farms called ranches are looked after by sturdy men called cow boys.

Ø  Bison or the American buffalo is the most important animal of this region. Nearly it got extinct due to its indiscriminate hunting and now this is a protected species. The other animals found here are rabbits, coyotes, gophers and prairie dog.

·         People

Ø  The people of Prairie region are very hard working. They use modern technologies to utilize their rich natural resources.

Ø  Scientific methods of cultivation and use of tractors, harvesters and combines has made North America a surplus food producer.

Ø  The Prairies are also known as the “Granaries of the world” due to its huge surplus of wheat production.

Ø  Dairy farming is another major industry in these areas. The dairy belt extends from the Great Lakes from the Atlantic coast in the east. Dairy farming and extensive agriculture promote setting up of food processing industries.

Ø  Minerals like coal and iron are largely available here.

Ø  Important cities in the American Prairies are Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis Kansas and Denver.

Ø  In Canadian Prairies the important cities are Edmonton, Saskatoon, Calgary and Winnipeg.

·         The Velds

Ø  The temperate grasslands of South Africa are called the Velds.

Ø  The Veld name was given by the Dutch settlers before South Africa was colonized by the British.

Ø  Velds are rolling plateaus with varying heights ranging from 600m to 1100m.

Ø  The Velds are bounded by the Darkensburg Mountains on the east, Kalahari desert to its west. On its north-eastern part, ‘High Velds’ are located that of a height of more than 1600m.

Ø  The tributaries of rivers Orange and Limpopo drain the region.

Ø  Velds lie in the Southern Hemisphere. When it is Summer in the Velds of Africa, from mid-October to mid-February, it is Winter in the Prairies in North America.

·         Climate

Ø  The Velds have a mild temperature because of the influence of the Indian Ocean.

Ø  Winters are cold and dry, temperature vary between 5’C to 10’C and July is the coldest month. Summers are short and warm. Johannesburg records about 20’C temperature in the summer.

Ø  The Velds mainly receive rainfall in the summer months from November to February due to the warm ocean currents that wash the shores of the Velds.

Ø  In winter months when the rainfall is scanty or little from June to August, drought occurs there most of the time.

·         Flora & Fauna

Ø  The vegetation cover is sparse. Grasses dominate the landscape. Red grass grows in bush velds. In the High Velds acacia and maroola are seen to be growing there.

Ø  The animals found in Velds are primarily lions, leopards, cheetah and kudu.

·         People

Ø  Velds are known for cattle rearing and mining.

Ø  The soils are not very fertile in the Velds due to the presence of discontinuous grasses exposing barren surface.

Ø  However where the land is fertile crops are grown. The main crops are maize, wheat, barley, oats, potato etc. and cash corps like tobacco, sugarcane and cotton are also grown here.

Ø  Sheep rearing is the most important occupation of the people. Sheep is bred mainly for wool and has given rise to wool industry.

Ø  Marino sheep is a popular species and their wool is very warm.

Ø  Dairy farming is next important occupation. Cattle are reared in the warmer and wetter regions and the dairy products like butter, cheese are produced both for domestic supply and also for export.

Ø  The Velda have rich reserve of minerals. Iron and steel industry has developed where coal and iron are present.

Ø  Gold and Diamond mining are major occupations of people of this region.

Ø  Johannesburg is known for being the Gold capital of the world.

Ø  Kimberley is famous for its diamond mines.

Ø  Mining of Gold and Diamond in South Africa led to the establishment of trade ties with Britain and gradually South Africa became a British Colony.