World Distribution
Whatever their origins, grasslands today are found in areas of the world intermediate in precipitation between deserts and forests. In the northern hemisphere the main grasslands are the prairies of the midwestern United States and Canada; in Eurasia the maker grasslands are the steppes of Russia and the grasslands of the mideast extending from Turkey to India. Grasslands are also found in South America. Africa certainly has grasslands, but the majority of them are classified instead as savannas (a tropical grassland with interspersed trees) and they are treated with the tropical seasonal forests here. In the United States, there are two main types of grasslands. The Tallgrass Prairie, requires more moisture than the Shortgrass Prairie. Mixed-type praries occur between these main types. At their wetter extremes praries blend into forests, on the drier end they grade into deserts.
Whatever their origins, grasslands today are found in areas of the world intermediate in precipitation between deserts and forests. In the northern hemisphere the main grasslands are the prairies of the midwestern United States and Canada; in Eurasia the maker grasslands are the steppes of Russia and the grasslands of the mideast extending from Turkey to India. Grasslands are also found in South America. Africa certainly has grasslands, but the majority of them are classified instead as savannas (a tropical grassland with interspersed trees) and they are treated with the tropical seasonal forests here. In the United States, there are two main types of grasslands. The Tallgrass Prairie, requires more moisture than the Shortgrass Prairie. Mixed-type praries occur between these main types. At their wetter extremes praries blend into forests, on the drier end they grade into deserts.