steppe
STEP
A vast, flat, treeless grassland in a semi-arid continental climate — too dry for forest, too cold for desert, supporting grasses and low shrubs but few or no trees. The Eurasian steppe stretches from Hungary to Mongolia, the largest continuous grassland on earth. The word implies openness, wind, and distance — a landscape of horizon.
Etymology
Russian step', a treeless plain. The word entered Western European languages through accounts of Russian and Central Asian geography.
Notes
The North American equivalent is prairie; the South American equivalent is pampa; the South African equivalent is veld.
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