The North American Prairie forms a triangular area from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba down through the Great Plains to southern Texas and Mexico, and from western Indiana towards the Rocky Mountains. The French named these rolling plains of grass "prairies" from the French word meaning, "a meadow where cows graze." The climates of the prairies vary and are moister in the higher elevations and drier in the central portions, creating different types of prairies. Tallgrass prairies, located in the wetter regions, contain grasses such as big bluestem and Indian grass as well as many types of flowers. Some grasses grow as high as ten feet. Other types of prairies in the North American Prairie triangle are mixed-grass prairies found in the central Great Plains, and the shortgrass prairie which is found towards the cooler, rainy climate of the Rocky Mountains.
The South Siberian Forested Steppe is located across southern central Russia. The landscape is divided into two regions, the northern region and the southern region. The northern forested region contains coniferous and swamp forests that open to valleys and floodplains containing meadows with some shrub species The southern region consists of low forested mountains that have emerged from water erosion throughout the years. This forested steppe is dominated by birch-aspen and poplar forests that open into sage-needlegrass meadows. These grassy areas are divided by rivers and streams. The climate of this forested steppe consists of long, cold winters, short spring seasons and hot, short summers.
The semi-arid and humid pampas of Argentina are savanna-like grasslands dominated by pampas grass, a scattering of shrubs and some small trees. Birds and animals inhabit the region as well. The humid pampas retain more water and form ecoregions like marshes and wetlands; whereas, the semi-arid pampas are more dune-like and are mixed with deciduous thorny woodlands similar to the Great Plains of North America. These pampas once formed a giant savanna mosaic that extended north into Uruguay and Brazil. Unfortunately, there are no pristine pampas habitats any longer as agriculture, cattle ranches and urban areas take over.
There are three velds in South Africa: the High Veld, the Middle Veld, and the Bush Veld. The High Veld is characterized by level or gently sloping land and is the southern continuation of the great African plateau. Crops and livestock dot the High Veld. The Middle Veld is part of the Kalahari Basin. The soil of the Middle Veld has little surface water as it consists of sand. It contains drought-resistant grasses and shrubs, and is used primarily for sheep grazing. The Bush Veld is broken into basins and receives more water than the other two velds. It includes large areas of cultivation including agriculture and cattle-grazing districts.
