The Steppes. The Semidesert

     The Forest-Steppe and Steppe. South of the forest belt the i Innate in Eastern Europe becomes drier. Winters are still cold, but theey are shorter than in the forest belt. Summers are long and hot. I here is less than 450 mm of rainfall yearly. Rain occurs mainly during the first half of the summer.

Fig. 40. The Ukraine: A forest-steppe scene

These are usually short showers that hardly wet the soil. The second half of the summer is dry. Arid winds (called sukhovei by the Russians) are frequent visitors. Lack of water stunts the growth of trees, and instead of forests there are broad steppe regions.
The region between the forest belt and the steppes is called the forest-steppe. Steppe vegetation alternates with occasional groves of oak and pine. The fir-tree does not thrive here.
South of the forest-steppe begin the woodless steppes. Years ago this was a boundless, grass-covered plain. Only in river areas and in deep ravines were there tiny groves and bushes. As soon as the snow melted in spring, the steppe would be covered with a carpet of blos­soming tulips and irises. By the beginning of summer there would be a thick growth of feather-grass and other grasses. By the second half of summer these would wither and the plain would turn yellow.
At present, the forest-steppe and steppe are densely populated and almost entirely under cultivation. The fertile steppe soil yields good harvests of wheat, maize and other food crops.
No longer do plant-eating animals graze freely on the vast plains. There remain only rodents—pests of the field, such as the gopher and field-mouse. As for beasts of prey, there is wolf, fox and polecat. The birds include quail and bustard.

Forest-steppes and steppes in the Soviet Union cover the entire southern part of the East European Plain up to the coastlines of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west the northern boundary of this belt

runs along the foothills of the Carpathians, near latitude 50°N. In the east it reaches latitude 55°N in the foothills of the Urals.
A stubborn battle is being waged against the drought. Protective forest belts are planted against the dry winds. Snow-fences are erected to hold back the snow. Artificial ponds, reservoirs and canals help to detain the melted snow in the fields.

Fig. 41. In the Volga delta
In Western Europe the forest-steppe and steppe cover only a small area of the Central Danubian and Lower Danubian Plains.
The Semidesert. In the Caspian Lowland in the south-east of Europe the climate is sharply continental and arid. Annual rainfall amounts to about 200 mm. These are semidesert regions.
Ground cover is poor here, and there are bare spots between the plants. Wormwood and prickly scrubs are dominant. Treacherous quicksands occur in places. The few rivers go dry in the hot summer. There are many salt lakes, however, but they have no outlets.
The Volga, divided into several arms, carries its waters across the semidesert into the Caspian Sea. It floods considerable areas of land and forms a wide delta overgrown with reeds, bushes and woods. These swamps provide rich feeding and safe nesting for myriads of migrant water-birds: cormorant, egret, pelican. The channels and creeks are full of fish.
Animal life in the semidesert is much the same as in the steppe. There are myriads of rodents: gopher, hamster and jerboa. There are many reptiles: lizards and snakes. The saiga antelope, a former inhabitant of the steppe, has found its home here. In summer the air is filled with the incessant chirping of grasshoppers.
The semidesert is thinly populated. Wherever there is water, there is cultivated land. This is a cattle-breeding region. Special attention is paid to sheep-breeding.
Thanks to the construction of the Volga Hydroelectric Power-Station named after the 22nd Congress of the CPSU with its enormous reservoir and to the construction of numerous irrigation canals, the Caspian semidesert now receives water in sufficient quantities for agricultural needs. On the irrigated lands there will appear crops of wheat, rice and other grains. Cattle will graze in the juicy pastures, and this territory will gradually lose its desolate appear­ance.
Questions and Assignments.

• Show the difference between the climate of the steppes and
  that of the mixed forests.
• Find on the climate map the January and July isotherms for
  the steppes and semideserts and the amount of rainfall there.
• Use your maps (physical, climate and zonal) to make a short
  report on the nature of the Central Danubian Plain.
• Trace the boundaries of the steppe and semidesert belts on the
  outline map of Europe.