Answer: (b) 25%

Answer: (a) Prairies

Answer: (a) Priata

Answer: (b) USA

Answer: (b) Prairies

Answer: (c) chinook

Answer: (b) -20°C

Answer: (d) Ranches

Answer: (a) Dairy farming

Answer: (d) All of these

Answer: (c) Kalahari desert

Answer: (b) July

Answer: (d) Dodo

Answer: (b) Diamonds

Answer:

Answer: grasses

Answer: orange, Limpopo

Answer: combine

Answer: iron

Question 1.
Define forests and grasslands.
Answer:
Forests:
Forests are defined as the places where trees are the main type of vegetation.

Grasslands:
Grasslands are defined as regions where grasses form the dominant type of plant life.

Question 2.
Give the main features of Grasslands.
Answer:
Main Features of Grasslands:

• Grasslands spread almost over 25% of the total land surface.
• The type of plants that grow in grasslands greatly depend on the type of climate and the type of soil.
• Climate plays an important role in the formation of grasslands.
• Hence it is generally used as a basis to divide the World’s Grasslands.
• They are classified into two broad categories:
• Temperate Grasslands: They grow in the temperate regions.
• Tropical Grasslands: They occur in the tropical regions.

Question 3.
Name various grasslands along with their areas.
Answer:
Various grasslands along with their areas are:
Tropical grasslands:

• Savannah – East Africa
• Campos – Brazil
• Linos – Venezuela

Temperate grasslands:

• Pampas – Argentina
• Prairie – North America
• Veld – South Africa
• Steppe – Central Asia
• Down – Australia.

The Prairies

Question 1.
Explain the main features of Prairie Grasslands.
Answer:
Major Features of Prairie Grasslands:
The temperate grasslands of North America are termed as Prairies.

• It is region of flat, gently sloping or hilly land,
• They are covered chiefly by grasses.

Prairies are treeless but, woodlands can be found near the low lying plains, flanked by river valleys.

• Trees are few and far between.
• They are actually a “sea of grass.”

Question 2.
Where are the Prairies situated? Which rivers drain them?
Answer:

• The prairies are bound by the Rocky Mountains in West and the Great Lakes in the East.
• They cover parts of United States of America and parts of Canada.
• In the U.S.A., the area is drained by the tributaries of Mississippi.
• The Canadian Prairies are drained by the tributaries of Saskatchewan Rivers.

Question 3.
Name the various tribes living in the prairies.
Answer:
Various tribes living in prairies—native Americans called ‘Red Indians’, and the other tribes like the Apache, the crow, the cree and the pawnee.

Climate

Question 1.
Describe the climate of Prairies.
Answer:
Climate of Prairies:

• The prairies are located in the heart of North American Continent.
• The climate is of continental type with extremities of temperatures.
• Summers are warm with temperatures of around 20°C.
• In winter temperatures of -20°C are recorded in Winnipeg, Canada. During this season thick blanket of snow covers the region.
• The annual rainfall is moderate.
• It is ideal for the growth of grass.
• Due to the absence of the north-south barter, a local wind “chinook” blows here. It is hot and raises the temperature in winter in a short time.

Question 2.
What is “Chinook”?
Answer:
Chinook is a hot wind that blows in winter and raises the temperature within a short period of time.

• This increase in temperature results in melting of snow.making pasture Jiand available for grazing.

Flora and Fauna

Question 1.
Give an account of flora and fauna of the Prairie Grasslands.
Answer:
Flora and Fauna of the Prairie Grasslands:

• Prairies are practically treeless.
• With the availability of winter, trees like willows, alders and poplars grow here and there.

Places that receive rainfall of over 50 cm. are suitable for farming due to fertile soil.

• Major crop of this area is maize.
• Potatoes, soyabean, cotton and alfa-alfa are also grown in this region.

Areas where rainfall is very less or unreliable, grasses are short and sparse.

• These areas are suitable for cattle rearing.
• Large cattle farms called ranches are looked after by sturdy men called cowboys.
• Bison or the American buffalo is the most important animal of this region.
• Bison nearly got extinct due to its indiscriminate hunting.
• It is now a protected species.
• The other animals found in this region include rabbits, coyotes, gophers and Prairie dogs.

People

Question 1.
Describe the life of the people in the Prairie Grasslands.
Answer:
Life of the people in the Prairie Grasslands:

• People of the prairie grasslands are very hardworking.
• They have successfully used technology to utilise their rich natural resources.
• There are two most developed countries in the world.
• They are USA and Canada.
• Prairie region spreads in both the countries.
• Scientific methods of cultivation and use of tractors, harvesters and combines have made North America a surplus food producer.
• The prairies are also known as “Granaries of the World” due to the huge surplus of wheat production.
• Dairy farming is another major industry.
• The dairy belt extends from the Great Lakes region to the Atlantic coast in the east.
• Dairy farming and extensive agriculture both promote setting up of food processing industries in this region. People are engaged in their activities in large numbers.
• Large mineral deposits particularly coal and iron ore found in abundance here.
• There is a good network of roads, railways and canals in this region.
• Both these have made it the most industrialised region in the world.

Question 2.
Mention the important cities of the U.SA and Canada Prairies.
Answer:
Important cities in the U.S.A. are:

• Chicago
• Mineapolis
• Indianapolis
• Kansas
• Denver

In Canadian Prairies the important cities are:

• Edmonton
• Saskatoon
• Calgary
• Winnipeg

Question 3.
Write the uses of machine ‘combine’.
Answer:
Combine is a single machine which can combine the tasks of sowing, ploughing and threshing.

The Velds

Question 1.
Explain the topography of the Velds Grasslands?
Answer:
Topography of the Velds Grasslands:

• Velds are the temperate grasslands of South Africa.
• They are rolling plateaus with varying heights between 600 m and 1100 m.
• The region is bounded by the Drakensburg Mountains on the east, by the Kalahari desert on the west and by “high Velds” on the north-eastern part.
• On the north-eastern part, the region attains a height of more than 1600 m in some places.
• The countries that are covered by the Velds are:
• Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Sawaziland and Lesotho. –
• The tributaries of River Orange and Limpopo drain the region.

Climate

Question 1.
Explain the climate of Velds Grasslands.
Answer:
Climate of Velds Grasslands:
The Velds lie under the influence of the Indian ocean. Hence their climate is mild.

Winters are cold and dry.

• Temperatures vary between 5°C and 10°C.
• July is the coldest month.
• The rainfall is scanty in the winter months from June till August.
• During the period drought may occur.

Summers are short and warm.

• Johannesburg records about 20°C temperature in the summer.
• The Velds receive rainfall mainly in the summer months from November to February.
• This is mainly because of the warm rear currents that wash the shores of the Velds.

Flora and Fauna

Question 1.
Give an account of the flora and fauna found in the Velds Grasslands.
Answer:
Flora and Fauna Veld Grasslands:

• In the Velds grasslands vegetation is sparse.
• Grasses dominate the landscape.
• Red grass grows in bush Velds.
• In the high Velds acacia and maroola grow well.
• The animals of the Velds are primarily lions, leopards, cheetah and kudu.

People

Question 1.
Describe the life of the people inhabiting the Velds Grasslands.
Answer:
Life of People inhabiting the Velds Grasslands:

• In the Velds, people are engaged in cattle rearing and mining.
• The soils are not very fertile in the Velds due to the presence of discontinuous grasses exposing barren surface.

In the areas where land is fertile, crops are grown.

• Main crops of the region are maize, wheat, barley, oats and potatoes.
• Cash crops like tobacco, sugarcane and cotton are also grown.

Sheep rearing is the most important occupation of the people.

• Sheep is bred mainly for wool.
• Easy availability of wool has given rise to the woollen industry in the Velds.
• Merino sheep is a popular species.

Dairy farming is the other important occupation of the people.

• Cattle are reared in the warmer and wetter regions.
• Major dairy products like butter, cheese are produced for both domestic supply and also for export.

Question 2.
Describe mining as another occupation of the people of Veld region.
Answer:
Mining is yet another important occupation of the people.

• The Velds have rich reserve of minerals.
• Iron and steel industry has developed where coal and iron are mined.

Gold and diamond mining are major occupations of the people of this region.

• Johannesburg is known for being the Gold Capital of the world.
• Kimberley is famous for its diamond mines.

Mining of diamond and gold in South Africa led to the establishment of trade ties with Britain.

• South Africa gradually became a British Colony.
• This mineral rich area has a well-developed network of transport and communication.