In physical geography, a steppe ( - step', - step), pronounced in English as step, is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally considered as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said to be the normal in the steppe. 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. They are usually found in areas of the world less prone to moisture. The soil is considered too moist to be a desert, but too dry to support normal forest life. The climate of steppes can be summarized by hot summers and cold winters, averaging 250-500 mm (10-20 inches) of rain per year.

Plant life is usually greater than one foot tall, including the blue grama and buffalo grass, cacti, sagebrush, speargrass, and other small relatives of the sunflower.

Animal life includes but isn't limited to the Corsac Fox, Mongolian Gerbil, Saiga Antelope, Northern Lynx, and the Saker Falcon.

The world's largest zone of steppes, which is often referred to as "the Great Steppe", is found in central Russia and neighbouring countries in Central Asia. The Pontic steppe stretches from the Ukraine in the west to the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea. To the east of the Caspian Sea, the steppes extend through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to the Altai, Koppet Dag and Tian Shan ranges. To the north, on the eastern side of the Urals, is the forested West Siberian Plain taiga, extending nearly as far as the Arctic Ocean.

Another large steppe area is located in the central United States and western Canada. The High Plains steppe is the westernmost part of the Great Plains region.

Grasslands | Climate | Russian loanwords

Степ | Step | Steppe (biotop) | Steppe | Στέπα | Estepa | Stepo | Steppe | ערבה (גאוגרפיה) | Stepi | Steppa | Steppe | ステップ (地形) | Steppe | يايلاق | Step | Estepe | Stepă | Степь | Stepa | Aro | Stäpp | Степ