In what ways are velds different from prairies
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The climate in the velds is mild due to the influence of the Indian Ocean. Winters are cold and dry. July is the coldest month. The temperatures in winter vary between 5C and 10C. Summers are short and warm. Johannesburg records a temperature of 20C in summer season. Rainfall occurs mainly in the months of November to February; and it is due to the warm ocean currents that wash the shores of the velds. If the winter months from June to August receive scanty rainfall, drought may occur.
Flora: Prairies are practically treeless. Based on availability of water, the plants found in the area, differ.Where water is available, trees such as willows, alders and poplars grow.Where rainfall is above 50 cm, farming is practiced as the soil is fertile. The main crop here is maize. The other crops that are grown in this area include potatoes, soyabean, alfa-alfa and cotton.Areas where rainfall is very little or unreliable, short and sparse grasses are found. These areas are suitable for cattle rearing. Large cattle farms are called ranches.Fauna: The main animal here is the bison or the American buffalo. It has nearly got extinct due to its indiscriminate hunting. Other animals found in this region are rabbits, Prairie dogs, coyotes and gophers.
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type. Temperate grassland regions include the Pampas of Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay as well as the steppes of Eurasia. Lands typically referred to as "prairie" tend to be in North America. The term encompasses the area referred to as the Interior Lowlands of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, which includes all of the Great Plains as well as the wetter, somewhat hillier land to the east.
In the U.S., the area is constituted by most or all of the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and sizable parts of the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and western and southern Minnesota. The Central Valley of California is also a prairie. The Canadian Prairies occupy vast areas of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
Etymology
Flora: Prairies are practically treeless. Based on availability of water, the plants found in the area, differ.Where water is available, trees such as willows, alders and poplars grow.Where rainfall is above 50 cm, farming is practiced as the soil is fertile. The main crop here is maize. The other crops that are grown in this area include potatoes, soyabean, alfa-alfa and cotton.Areas where rainfall is very little or unreliable, short and sparse grasses are found. These areas are suitable for cattle rearing. Large cattle farms are called ranches.Fauna: The main animal here is the bison or the American buffalo. It has nearly got extinct due to its indiscriminate hunting. Other animals found in this region are rabbits, Prairie dogs, coyotes and gophers.
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type. Temperate grassland regions include the Pampas of Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay as well as the steppes of Eurasia. Lands typically referred to as "prairie" tend to be in North America. The term encompasses the area referred to as the Interior Lowlands of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, which includes all of the Great Plains as well as the wetter, somewhat hillier land to the east.
In the U.S., the area is constituted by most or all of the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and sizable parts of the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and western and southern Minnesota. The Central Valley of California is also a prairie. The Canadian Prairies occupy vast areas of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
Etymology
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