Steppes and Deserts. The Andes Region.

Steppes. Farther south the savannahs give way to the steppes. Steppes, or pampas (the Spanish name for the vast treeless grass­lands of South America south of the Amazon), occupy the southern part of the La Plata Lowlands along the lower course of the Parana River The pampas have a warm climate. The average winter tempe­rature is about 10 C above zero. However, cold and dry winds blowing from the south often cause a drop in the temperature. Here grow feather, pampa and other types of grass. Rushy marshes are found in the lower places.
There are great numbers of rodents in the pampas. Along the shores of the rivers and lakes there is nutria, a kind of beaver, im­portant for its fur. (The nutria has been brought to the Soviet Union where it is being successfully bred.)
In the remoter spots still exists the nandu (the American type of ostrich) and the guanaco (a grass-eating animal resembling a hump-less camel). There is also the puma, terror of the sheep (Fig. 172).
The greater part of the steppes is now under cultivation. The chief crops are wheat and corn. Great numbers of cattle and sheep are grazed. Enormous manors are scattered here and there, often containing thousands of hectares of land. The labour is done by farm­hands. Some of the land is leased to European settlers.
The regions lying in the temperate zone in the south and west closer to the Andes are dry steppes and semideserts covered with thin grass and prickly scrub. The stunted growth forms a 'cushion' so hard that the hoofs of horses leave no marks on it. These places are thinly populated and contain more steppe animals than the pampas.
The Pacific Coast. The northern portion of the Pacific coast-lands in South America is an equatorial forest area. South of the Equator the climate becomes markedly drier, and the desert begins.

Fig. 171. A family of nandus in the pampas.

Along the Pacific coast near the Tropic of Capricorn lies the Atacama Desert (Fig. 173). A cold current flows along the coast and summers in Atacama are, therefore, not very hot. Tem­peratures are about the same throughout the year. The Atacama receives almost no rain, years passing without a drop. As if to make up for it, fogs occur very often. When an animal dies, its body dries up but does not decay for dozens of years. Here and there grow cacti and mimosas. In the low-lying areas there are saline grasses. Saltpetre and copper ore are mined in Atacama.
South of Atacama along the Pacific coast the rainfall increases. This is a region of evergreen subtropical vegetation.

Fig. 172. The puma, a large flesh-eatipg animal of South America.

On the very south of the coast blow cold winds from the ocean that often turn into storms and bring ceaseless rains. This is a king­dom of dampness and foul weather. The climate is maritime. Sum­mers are cool, winters mild, with temperatures above freezing-point. The slopes of the Andes are covered with dense deciduous and mixed forests consisting of huge trees and numerous ferns and mosses. Down the slopes move glaciers coming to abrupt ends at the shores of the winding gulfs (fjords). This wet forest region is almost entirely uninhabited.
The Andes. Nature in the Andes is very peculiar. Owing to the altitude the weather is cool. The temperatures, though, are almost the same throughout the year, as the Equator is close. On the high plateaus among the mountains the average temperature ranges from 8° to 12* C all the year round. The weather, nevertheless, is very chan­geable. Though bright and sunny at the moment, chilling winds may arrive instantly, bringing rain or snow (flurries). Thunderstorms and

Fig. 173. An Atacama village.
Only where the underground water comes to the surface are there settlements. The one shown here is beautifully situated around a lake of subsoil water sur­rounded by an enormous sand-dune.
snow-storms are frequent. The mountains are often shrouded in mist, cold as ice. In the sun it is intolerably hot, in the shade terribly cold. It is especially cold in the night. This is the so-called Puna region. It consists of montane grasslands and semideserts lying at very high altitudes and covered with tough grass, resinous shrubs and cushion-like plants. There are many salt lakes. From 4,500 me­tres and higher, up to the snow-line, there is only bare rock, almost entirely void of vegetation.
There are many grass-eating animals in the Andes: various kinds of lama (the guanaco and the smaller vicuna). These are partly tame and used as pack animals. High up in the mountains there is chin­chilla, a kind of rodent, highly prized for its fur. Condors nest here, great birds with wingspreads reaching 2.75 metres.
The climate in the Andes is healthier than in the hot and wet lowlands. The region is quite densely populated and has been so from ancient times. This is the home of the potato, which was brought to Europe soon after the discovery of America. Many metals are mined in the mountains: copper, tin and others The mines, how­ever, belong to North American capitalists who cruelly exploit the local population.

Questions and Assignments.

• Study the map in your Atlas and trace from north to south
  the changes in the natural features along the Pacific coast.
• How did it happen that the Atacama Desert was formed at
  the very shores of the ocean?
• Use the textbook and maps to describe the natural features
  of the La Plata Lowlands.
• Mark on the outline map the natural zones of South America.