Grasslands of the World: Interactive Map and Complete Study Guide

Grassland type: Temperate prairie · tallgrass, mixed-grass and shortgrass zones

Setting / extent: A vast interior belt east of the Rocky Mountains, extending from the Canadian Prairies toward Texas

Climate / ecology: Strong continental seasonality; rainfall generally decreases westward; fire and grazing restrain woody plants

Why it matters: One of Earth’s best-known prairie systems. Its deep, fertile soils supported immense bison herds but also encouraged extensive conversion to cropland.

Grassland type: Temperate bunchgrass prairie on wind-deposited loess

Setting / extent: Rolling hills of the inland Pacific Northwest between the Columbia Plateau and northern Rockies

Climate / ecology: Cool wet winters, dry summers and historically recurring fire; native grasses grow in bunches rather than a continuous sod

Why it matters: The Palouse is a small but distinctive prairie whose deep loess soils now support major wheat and pulse production. Only scattered native remnants survive.

Grassland type: Temperate lowland grassland · humid and dry pampas

Setting / extent: Broad plains around and south of the Río de la Plata, grading westward into drier country

Climate / ecology: Warm summers, cool winters and an east-to-west rainfall decline; fertile Mollisol-type soils dominate large areas

Why it matters: The Pampas became one of the world’s great grain-and-livestock regions. Native grass communities remain biologically rich but are highly fragmented by farming.

Grassland type: Temperate steppe · western Eurasian grassland

Setting / extent: Lowland belt north of the Black and Caspian seas, between forest-steppe and semi-desert

Climate / ecology: Cold winters, hot summers and moderate-to-low rainfall; drought, fire and grazing maintain open vegetation

Why it matters: A western core of the Eurasian Steppe and an historic corridor for pastoral peoples, trade and migration. Much of its fertile chernozem has been cultivated.

Grassland type: High-elevation temperate grassland

Setting / extent: Interior plateau generally about 1,200–1,800 metres above sea level

Climate / ecology: Summer rainfall, dry frosty winters, frequent fire and grazing; trees are naturally scarce across extensive tracts

Why it matters: The Highveld is both an agricultural and industrial heartland and a centre of grassland diversity. Urban growth, mining and cropland have transformed much of it.

Grassland type: Temperate tussock grassland · lowland to alpine

Setting / extent: Intermontane basins, eastern rain-shadow country and high slopes of the South Island

Climate / ecology: Cool oceanic to alpine climates; snow, wind, fire and grazing shape short- and tall-tussock communities

Why it matters: New Zealand’s tussocklands are dominated by native bunch-forming grasses and support distinctive endemic plants and animals across a steep elevation gradient.

Grassland type: Tropical savanna and short-grass plains

Setting / extent: Serengeti ecosystem from northern Tanzania into Kenya’s Maasai Mara

Climate / ecology: Strong wet–dry season cycle; volcanic soils, rainfall gradients, fire and herbivory create a shifting grass mosaic

Why it matters: Famous for the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles, this savanna supports one of the largest remaining terrestrial wildlife movements.

Grassland type: Tropical savanna · grassland with drought-deciduous trees

Setting / extent: Broad belt south of the Sahel and north of the Guinean forest zone

Climate / ecology: One summer rainy season followed by a long dry season; rainfall increases southward and fire is widespread

Why it matters: This productive savanna supports farming, livestock and wildlife, but cultivation, fuelwood use and altered fire regimes have fragmented natural habitat.

Grassland type: Tropical savanna · grassland, shrubland and open woodland mosaic

Setting / extent: Central Brazilian plateau and adjoining areas; roughly two million square kilometres in its broadest definition

Climate / ecology: Distinct wet and dry seasons; frequent fire, deep roots and nutrient-poor acidic soils shape vegetation

Why it matters: The Cerrado is exceptionally species-rich and feeds the headwaters of major South American river basins, yet agricultural expansion has cleared large areas.

Grassland type: Tropical savanna · seasonally flooded and well-drained grasslands

Setting / extent: Vast low plains of the Orinoco basin between the Andes and Guiana Highlands

Climate / ecology: Marked wet and dry seasons; many plains flood for months before drying and burning

Why it matters: The Llanos support cattle ranching and spectacular wet-season concentrations of birds, capybaras and other wildlife across the Orinoco floodplain.

Grassland type: Tropical and subtropical tall-grass savanna

Setting / extent: Alluvial foothill belt along the base of the Himalaya

Climate / ecology: Monsoon rain, river flooding, sediment deposition, fire and grazing maintain exceptionally tall grasses

Why it matters: Among the world’s tallest grasslands, the Terai–Duar supports greater one-horned rhinoceros, Asian elephants, tigers and globally important alluvial habitats.

Grassland type: Tropical savanna · grassy eucalypt woodland and open grassland

Setting / extent: A broad arc across the Kimberley, Top End and Cape York

Climate / ecology: Monsoonal wet summers and long dry winters; lightning and cultural burning are major ecological forces

Why it matters: This is one of the largest relatively intact tropical savanna regions, with strong Aboriginal land-management traditions and rich endemic biodiversity.

Grassland type: Semi-arid tropical steppe and thorn savanna

Setting / extent: Transcontinental transition zone between the Sahara and wetter Sudanian savannas

Climate / ecology: Short, highly variable summer rains and a long dry season; drought and grazing drive large year-to-year changes

Why it matters: The Sahel is a major pastoral and farming zone. Its vegetation shifts rapidly with rainfall, making livelihoods sensitive to drought, land degradation and climate change.

Grassland type: Cold semi-arid steppe

Setting / extent: Rain-shadow plateaus and basins east of the southern Andes

Climate / ecology: Strong westerly winds, low rainfall, cold winters and sparse bunchgrasses mixed with low shrubs

Why it matters: Patagonia’s open steppe supports guanaco, rheas and pastoral sheep systems. Overgrazing and desertification are important conservation challenges.

Grassland type: Temperate dry steppe

Setting / extent: Enormous plains across northern and central Kazakhstan, within the Eurasian grassland belt

Climate / ecology: Very cold winters, hot dry summers and limited rainfall; grasses grade southward into semi-desert

Why it matters: One of the largest remaining expanses of dry steppe, known for saiga antelope migrations and for the contrast between cultivated north and drier rangelands.

Grassland type: Temperate continental steppe

Setting / extent: Eastern Mongolian plateau and adjoining Inner Mongolian and Daurian plains

Climate / ecology: Extreme seasonal temperatures, low-to-moderate summer rainfall, fire and mobile grazing

Why it matters: This sweeping steppe supports nomadic pastoralism and long-distance wildlife movements, including Mongolian gazelle migrations.

Grassland type: Semi-arid temperate steppe

Setting / extent: Interior Anatolian plateau, especially the closed basins around Konya and Tuz Gölü

Climate / ecology: Hot dry summers, cold winters and low rainfall; saline depressions add specialized plant communities

Why it matters: A long-settled steppe landscape with endemic plants and important wetlands, extensively shaped by cereal farming, grazing and groundwater use.

Grassland type: Semi-arid tropical tussock grassland

Setting / extent: Cracking-clay plains of inland Queensland and the Northern Territory

Climate / ecology: Highly variable summer rain; deep clay soils store water and perennial Mitchell grasses survive long dry periods

Why it matters: Among Australia’s most productive native rangelands, the downs support extensive cattle and sheep grazing across broad treeless plains.

Grassland type: High-elevation tropical and subtropical grassland

Setting / extent: Central Andes plateau and slopes, mostly about 3,500–5,000 metres

Climate / ecology: Cold nights, intense sunlight, strong winds and a westward moisture decline; bunchgrasses and cushion plants dominate

Why it matters: The puna surrounds the Altiplano and supports vicuña, flamingos, camelid pastoralism and high-altitude farming under severe climatic conditions.

Grassland type: Tropical alpine grassland and shrubland

Setting / extent: Discontinuous highlands above the treeline and below permanent snow, generally around 3,000–4,800 metres

Climate / ecology: Cool, wet and cloudy conditions with daily freeze–thaw cycles; organic soils and plants capture and store water

Why it matters: Páramo ecosystems act as high-mountain water towers for major Andean cities and contain extraordinary plant endemism, including giant rosette species.

Grassland type: Alpine steppe and meadow

Setting / extent: High Tibetan Plateau and adjoining Himalayan rain-shadow regions, mostly above 4,000 metres

Climate / ecology: Cold, windy, oxygen-poor conditions; precipitation generally decreases from southeast to northwest

Why it matters: Often called Earth’s “Third Pole,” the plateau supports wild yak, Tibetan antelope and vast pastoral rangelands while influencing major Asian river systems.

Grassland type: Afromontane grassland and moorland mosaic

Setting / extent: High plateaus and massifs separated by the Great Rift Valley

Climate / ecology: Elevation creates cool conditions within the tropics; rainfall, frost, fire, grazing and cultivation structure the landscape

Why it matters: The Ethiopian Highlands contain exceptional endemism, including Ethiopian wolves and geladas, but their grasslands are densely settled and heavily used.

Grassland type: Montane and alpine grassland

Setting / extent: Great Escarpment and high Drakensberg–Maloti ranges

Climate / ecology: Summer rainfall, winter frost or snow, frequent lightning fire and steep elevation gradients

Why it matters: These species-rich highland grasslands protect important river headwaters and form a major centre of plant and bird endemism in southern Africa.

Grassland type: Alpine and subalpine grassland, herbfield and heath mosaic

Setting / extent: Highest ranges of southeastern mainland Australia, generally above the climatic treeline

Climate / ecology: Cold winters, snow cover, frost and short growing seasons; fire and feral herbivores strongly affect recovery

Why it matters: Australia’s limited alpine zone contains specialized plants, bogs and the mountain pygmy-possum, and is highly sensitive to warming and shorter snow seasons.

Grassland type: Seasonally flooded savanna, grassland and wetland mosaic

Setting / extent: Upper Paraguay River basin; one of the world’s largest tropical floodplains

Climate / ecology: A slow annual flood pulse spreads across low-gradient plains, creating shifting lakes, channels and grasslands

Why it matters: The Pantanal’s flood cycle supports exceptional concentrations of wildlife and extensive cattle ranching, but drought, fire and upstream change pose major risks.

Grassland type: Seasonally flooded tropical savanna

Setting / extent: Llanos de Moxos lowlands of the southwestern Amazon basin

Climate / ecology: Heavy seasonal rain and poor drainage create months of inundation, while raised ground supports woodland islands

Why it matters: A vast grassland–wetland mosaic with ancient Indigenous earthworks, endemic wildlife and some of the most extensive seasonally flooded savannas in Amazonia.

Grassland type: Permanent and seasonally flooded grassland, swamp and reedbed

Setting / extent: White Nile basin; extent changes dramatically with river flow and rainfall

Climate / ecology: Very low relief slows the Nile into channels, lagoons and vast floodplains; much water is lost to evaporation and plant transpiration

Why it matters: One of Africa’s largest wetlands, the Sudd supports pastoral and fishing cultures, immense birdlife and a major migration of antelope.

Grassland type: Inland-delta floodplain grassland and wetland mosaic

Setting / extent: Kalahari Basin fan where the Okavango River disperses without reaching the sea

Climate / ecology: Floodwater arrives during Botswana’s dry season, producing a moving mosaic of channels, islands and seasonally inundated grassland

Why it matters: The Okavango is one of the world’s great inland deltas and a wildlife refuge whose ecology depends on the timing and spread of its annual flood.

Grassland type: Seasonally flooded Sahelian grassland and wetland

Setting / extent: Broad inland floodplain where the Niger and Bani rivers spread across central Mali

Climate / ecology: Annual river floods expand across shallow basins before contracting in the dry season

Why it matters: The delta’s flood-recession pastures, fisheries and rice fields sustain millions of people and provide a crucial stopover for migratory waterbirds.

Grassland type: Seasonally flooded tropical grassland

Setting / extent: Broad Kafue River floodplain between the Itezhi-Tezhi and Kafue Gorge

Climate / ecology: A natural flood pulse—now modified by dams—controls pasture growth, fisheries and wetland habitat

Why it matters: The Kafue Flats support endemic Kafue lechwe, major bird populations, livestock grazing and fisheries, all tied to the flood regime.