Europe's Broad Treeless Plains: The Steppes

The vast, flat, treeless grasslands of eastern Europe (extending into Central Asia) are called the steppes. Characterized by a continental climate (hot, dry summers; cold, snowy winters), they support grassland ecosystems with feather grass, fescue, wildflowers, and fauna like saiga antelope, marmots, and raptors. In Europe, the Pontic–Caspian steppe spans southern Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and parts of Hungary. Historically, they were the domain of nomadic pastoralists and a corridor for migrations.