Question

what are the prairies? ​

Answer 1

Answer:

A prairie is an ecosystem that is generally flat and dominated by herbaceous plants, particularly grasses. Trees and other woody plants are either absent or are widely scattered. Early French explorers called the vast temperate grasslands of North America prairies, a French word for a meadow grazed by cattle.

Answer 2

☯THE PRAIRIES

The word 'prairie' is a French word meaning meadow or Grassland

• The prairies of North America are located between the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the west and the Great Lakes and Appalachian Highlands in the east This area is quite widespread, extending over large potpof the USA and Canada.

• The Canadian Prairies include the provinces Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario. In the USA, the Prairies extend over North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin states.

• The prairies have flat or slightly undulating terrain. The land rises to a height of about 900 m in the west along the slope of the Rocky Mountains and slopes gently towards the east.

• The area is home to many rivers and lakes such as Saskatchewan in Canada and rivers Missouri and Mississippi and their tributaries in the USA, Lake Winnipeg is also located here.

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★Climate

• The prairies have a continental type of climate with extreme temperatures.

• Summers are warm and humid with temperatures around 30°C. Winters are very cold and high velocity winds bring the temperature further down to -20°C or even lower. The daily range of temperature is also quite high.

• Rainfall decreases from east to west and from south to north. The average annual rainfall is about 50 cm, which mostly occurs during spring and summer Snowfall occurs in winter. During the late winters or early spring the warm Chinook wind blowing down the eastern slopes of the Rockies helps to melt the snow.

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★Natural Vegetation

The prairies have fertile chernozem soils. Due to Scanty rainfall, natural vegetation is restricted to grasses, scrubs and desert xerophytes The grass is taller (about 2 metres) towards the eastern side and turns coarse and short towards the west In autumn, the grass withers and dies, and in winter the grassland is bare and covered with snow. The prairies are practically treeless due to low rainfall. On the slopes of mountains and along the water courses, where precipitation is a little more, trees such as willows, alders and poplars are found.

★Wildlife

• The wildlife includes wolves, coyotes, gophers, jackals, prairie dogs, antelopes, rabbits and rattlesnakes. Birds like eagles, hawks and owls are also common

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★People

• As late as the 19th century, the indigenous people (often termed the prairie Indians) leading a nomadic or semi-nomadic life dominated these areas.

• Hunting and food gathering were the primary occupations, and cultivation was unknown.

• The region was one of the sparsely populated areas of the world. The advent of Europeans changed the original landscape. The grasslands have been converted into agricultural lands and cattle ranches. Today the two major occupations of the people in the prairies are cultivation of crops and animal rearing

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★Agriculture and Industries

Cultivation of crops is the most important occupation in the Prairies due to the following reasons:

• The dark brown chernozem soil is very fertile due to its rich organic matter.

• The rolling plains are well drained and suitable for mechanised large-scale farming

• Light rains during spring and summer and melting snow during winter provide enough moisture for growth of crops.

• Low population growth in the USA and Canada has spared enough land for agriculture.

A variety of crops are grown in the region. Wheat is the most important crop and is grown in the spring season in Canada and in winter season in the USA. Maize or corn is mostly grown as fodder for cattle and pigs. Other crops grown here include oat, barley, potato, flax, tobacco, oilseeds and fodder crops like alfalfa.

• The process of cultivation is commercial in nature and crops are produced on a large scale for sale in the market.

• Large farms and low population along with high levels of economic development have facilitated the development of mechanised farming Machines such as tractors, harrows, seed drills and combine harvesters are used in farming.

• Scientific methods of farming such as contour ploughing, crop rotation and strip cropping are practised.

• Farm houses situated at great distances have all the modern facilities and are equipped with silos to store grain.

Cattle rearing has developed as an important activity in the drier western parts of the prairies Cattle are reared for their milk and farm products such as milk, butter and cheese, which are then sent to nearby towns. They are also reared for beef in large farms called ranches, which are self contained units managed like factories with the help of cowboys.

Many heavy and consumer goods industries have developed in the region due to the availability of a variety of minerals and power resources (eg. coal and iron).

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