In physical geography, steppe (from Russian степь, "steppe," further derivation unknown) is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. The prairie (especially the shortgrass and mixed prairie) is an example of a steppe, though it is not usually called such. It may be semi-desert, or covered with grass or shrubs or both, depending on the season and latitude. The term is also used to denote the climate encountered in regions too dry to support a forest, but not dry enough to be a desert. The soil is typically of chernozem type.

Steppes are usually characterized by a semi-arid and continental climate. Extremes can be recorded in the summer of up to 40 °C (104 °F) and in winter, –40 °C (–40 °F). Besides this huge difference between summer and winter, the differences between day and night are also very great. In the highlands of Mongolia, 30 °C (86 °F) can be reached during the day with sub-zero °C (sub 32 °F) readings at night.

The mid-latitude steppes can be summarised by hot summers and cold winters, averaging 250–500 mm (10-20 inches) of precipitation per year. Precipitation level alone is not what defines a steppe climate, potential evapotranspiration must also be taken into account.

Two types of steppe

Peculiar types of steppe include shrub-steppe and alpine-steppe.

Locations

Cold steppe

The inner parts of Anatolia in Turkey, Central Anatolia and East Anatolia in particular and also some parts of Southeast Anatolia, as well as much of Armenia and Iran are largely dominated by cold steppe.

The Pannonian Plain is another steppe region in eastern Europe, primarily Hungary. Another large steppe area (prairie) is located in the central United States and western Canada. The shortgrass prairie steppe is the westernmost part of the Great Plains region. The Channeled Scablands in Southern British Columbia and Washington State is an example of a steppe region in North America outside of the Great Plains.

In South America, cold steppe can be found in Patagonia and much of the high elevation regions east of the southern Andes.

Relatively small steppe areas can be found in the interior of the South Island of New Zealand.

Subtropical steppe

In Asia, a subtropical steppe can be found in semi-arid lands that fringe the Thar Desert of the Indian subcontinent.

In Australia, "subtropical steppe" can found in a belt surrounding the most severe deserts of the continent and around the Musgrave Ranges.

In North America this environment is typical of transition areas between zones with a Mediterranean climate and true deserts, such as Reno, Nevada, the inner part of California, and much of West Texas and adjacent areas in Mexico.

In South America the most important zone with a warm steppe is the Pampa.

Tropical grasslands and shrublands similar to steppe

Another significant "tropical steppe", noteworthy for not grading into desert, is the Sertão of northeastern Brazil.

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Category:Grasslands Category:Montane grasslands and shrublands Category:Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Category:Ecoregions Category:Plains Category:Plains of Russia Category:Prairies Category:Climate Category:Russian loanwords

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus) assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "''the Great''".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

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Category:Monarchs Great, List of people known as The Category:Greatest Nationals Category:Epithets

Biography

Professor Mallory's research has focused on Early Neolithic and Bronze Age Europe, the problem of the homeland of the Proto-Indo-Europeans, and the archaeology of early Ireland. He favors an integrative approach to these issues, comparing literary, linguistic and archaeological evidence to solve historical puzzles.

One consequence of this preference for an integrated approach is that Professor Mallory has been strongly critical of the widely publicised theory of Indo-European origins held by Colin Renfrew which locates the urheimat or homeland of this language family in early Neolithic Anatolia and associates its spread with the spread of agriculture. A key element of his criticism has been a vigorous defence of linguistic palaeontology as a valid tool for solving the Indo-European homeland problem, arguing that Renfrew is sceptical about it precisely because it offers some of the strongest evidence against the latter's own model. Mallory published a new book with D.Q. Adams, entitled ''The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World'' and published by Oxford University Press, where doubtless the debate with Renfrew will resume in earnest. Mallory is the current editor of the ''Journal of Indo-European Studies''.

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Category:American archaeologists Category:Academics of Queen's University Belfast Category:1945 births Category:Living people Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni Category:Occidental College alumni Category:Irish scholars and academics Category:Indo-Europeanists

David Kim (born 24 May 1963) is a violinist born in Carbondale, Illinois and was the only American to win a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1986, where he got sixth prize. Since 1999, he has been the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Kim is an active musician, performing with orchestras in Dallas, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, Korea, and Moscow.

Kim resides in a Philadelphia suburb with his wife and two daughters. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the San Jose Youth Symphony.

The instrument Kim uses is a c. 1757 J.B. Guadagnini made in Milan, Italy. It is on loan from the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Career

References

Category:American violinists Category:Concertmasters Category:Living people Category:1963 births

Jonathan James Newell (born 30 September 1978) is a former English cricketer. Newell was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break. He was born at Crawley, Sussex.

Newell represented the Sussex Cricket Board in a single List A match against Hertfordshire in the 1999 NatWest Trophy.

In 2005, he joined Buckinghamshire. He made his debut in the Minor Counties Championship against Staffordshire. From 2005 to 2007, he represented the county in 15 Championship matches, the last of which came against Hertfordshire. Newell also represented the county in the MCCA Knockout Trophy, where he played 3 matches for the county between 2005 and 2006 against Wiltshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

Family

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