- published: 25 Oct 2014
- views: 36577
In physical geography, a steppe (Russian: степь, tr. step'; IPA: [sʲtʲepʲ]) 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.
Son of Europa raise up your head
Wherever you see plain
Before it was a forest
Under the ice, have remained the traces
Of our arms!
When it's full moon
When the wind blows
Along with the path, you can hear a song
A song which tales, where we began to fight!
Invisible enemies
Along the path we crossed by
Between us different languages, but one tradition
Between us different nations, but one legion
We began spring
The woods where green (and) the trees in bloom
Beyond these mountains
There, where we stopped
Wounded by winter
We the new soldiers, while our hearts
Feel like we are Gods
Like we are silver eagles
We, the frozen eagles
From this path, we will not return again