Types of Grasslands: Savanna, Steppe, Prairie & Pampas

There are five main types of grasslands: tropical savannas (warm climates with distinct wet and dry seasons and scattered trees), temperate prairies (the fertile grasslands of North America), steppes (dry, short-grass plains of Eurasia and beyond), pampas (the rich temperate grasslands of South America), and the veld (the varied grasslands of southern Africa). Grasslands are classified mainly by latitude, temperature, and rainfall, which together determine whether a grassland is tropical or temperate and how tall its grasses grow.

Grasslands are ecosystems where grasses and other herbaceous plants dominate the landscape and trees are rare or absent. They cover roughly 40% of Earth's land surface and exist on every continent except Antarctica. At first glance grasslands can look uniform, but climate, soil, and history have produced strikingly different versions across the world. The broadest division is between tropical grasslands, found near the equator, and temperate grasslands, found in the cooler middle latitudes.

What Makes a Grassland?

Grasslands form in places that are too wet to be deserts but too dry to support a continuous forest. Three factors keep them open: rainfall, fire, and grazing. Where annual precipitation falls roughly between 25 and 130 cm, grasses outcompete trees. Periodic fires burn back any saplings before they can mature, and large herds of grazing animals trample and crop young woody plants. Grasses are perfectly adapted to all three pressures because they grow from the base of the plant rather than the tip, so they recover quickly after being burned, eaten, or trampled. This combination of conditions is what separates a true grassland from a forest or a desert.

Tropical Savanna

Savannas are tropical grasslands dotted with scattered trees, defined by sharply contrasting wet and dry seasons. They receive 50–130 cm of rainfall annually, almost all of it during the wet season. Savannas host the greatest concentration of large mammals on the planet — elephants, lions, zebras, wildebeest, and giraffes across Africa. Fire is essential here, regularly clearing brush and preventing the savanna from turning into woodland.

How it forms: Savannas occupy the transition zone between tropical rainforests and deserts, typically 10–20° latitude. Seasonal drought and recurring fire stop forests from establishing. Grasses surge during the rains and go dormant in the dry months, while drought-tolerant trees such as acacias survive in the gaps.

Examples: African savanna (Serengeti, Masai Mara, Kruger), the Brazilian cerrado, the Indian savanna, and the savannas of northern Australia.

Temperate Prairie

Prairies are the temperate grasslands of North America. They split into tallgrass prairie in the wetter east and shortgrass prairie in the drier west, with mixed-grass prairie in between. Prairies have hot summers, cold winters, and moderate rainfall of 40–90 cm. Their soils, called mollisols, are among the most fertile on Earth, which is exactly why the vast majority of North America's prairie has been plowed under for agriculture.

How it forms: Prairies sit in the continental interior of North America, between about 30° and 55° latitude. Rainfall is too low to support forest, and frequent fires plus grazing keep grasses dominant. Over thousands of years, decaying grass roots built up deep, dark, nutrient-rich soil.

Examples: the Great Plains of the United States and Canada, the tallgrass prairie of Iowa and Illinois, and the shortgrass prairie of Colorado and Wyoming.

Steppe

Steppes are dry temperate grasslands with grasses shorter than those of the prairie, receiving only 25–50 cm of precipitation a year. They endure extreme temperature swings, with hot summers and bitterly cold winters. Steppes stretch across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and parts of North America, and historically they were the homeland of nomadic herding peoples such as the Mongols and Scythians.

How it forms: Steppes lie deep in continental interiors, far from oceanic moisture. Low rainfall and harsh temperature extremes favor short, drought-resistant grasses. Much of the land is too dry to farm reliably and is instead used for grazing livestock.

Examples: the great Eurasian Steppe (Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine), the Patagonian steppe in Argentina, and the semi-arid grasslands of the US Great Basin.

Pampas

The pampas are the fertile temperate grasslands of South America, centered on Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. They enjoy mild temperatures, moderate rainfall of 60–120 cm, and deep, rich soils that make them ideal for cattle ranching and grain farming. The pampas are the agricultural heartland of South America and the cultural home of the gaucho, the South American cowboy.

How it forms: The pampas lie in the Southern Hemisphere's mid-latitudes, where maritime influence delivers moderate temperatures and rainfall. Their celebrated soils developed from grass-root decomposition combined with wind-blown sediment known as loess.

Examples: the Argentine Pampas surrounding Buenos Aires province, the grasslands of Uruguay, and the campos of southern Brazil.

Veld

The veld (an Afrikaans word meaning "field") refers to the grasslands and shrublands of southern Africa, especially South Africa. It is subdivided by altitude into highveld (high-elevation grasslands), lowveld (warmer, lower bush country), and bushveld (a mix of grass and woody vegetation). The veld supports both abundant wildlife and major agricultural and mining regions.

How it forms: The veld blankets the South African plateau at a range of elevations. Differences in altitude, rainfall, and temperature create distinct bands, from cool high grasslands to warm low bushlands.

Examples: the South African highveld (Gauteng and the Free State), the lowveld of Mpumalanga, and the highlands of Lesotho.

Why Grasslands Matter

Grasslands do far more than feed grazing animals. Their deep, dense root systems store enormous quantities of carbon underground, making them important buffers against climate change. They produce much of the world's grain and meat, regulate water by absorbing rainfall, and shelter species found nowhere else. Yet temperate grasslands are among the most endangered biomes on Earth: more than half have already been converted to cropland or pasture. Because grassland carbon is stored below ground rather than in trees, it is easy to overlook how much is lost when these landscapes are plowed.

Key Facts

• Global coverage: Grasslands cover roughly 40% of Earth's land surface (excluding Antarctica and Greenland).
• Main types: Tropical savanna, temperate prairie, steppe, pampas, and veld.
• Key controls: Rainfall, fire, and grazing keep grasslands open and tree-free.
• Soils: Prairie and pampas soils (mollisols) are among the most fertile on the planet.
• Conservation: Temperate grasslands are one of the most endangered biomes — over 50% has been converted to farmland.
• Carbon: Grasslands store vast amounts of carbon in their deep root systems.
• Wildlife: The Serengeti wildebeest migration, with around 1.5 million animals, is the largest land migration on Earth.

Fun Facts

• Prairie grass roots can reach 4–5 meters deep, often deeper than the plant is tall and far deeper than many tree roots.
• Mongolia's steppe is one of the last large, intact grassland ecosystems remaining on Earth.
• The word "savanna" comes from the Taíno language of the Caribbean, while "veld," "steppe," and "pampas" each come from a different language entirely — Afrikaans, Russian, and Quechua-influenced Spanish.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the two broad categories of grasslands?

Grasslands are first divided into tropical grasslands and temperate grasslands. Tropical grasslands are the savannas found near the equator, with warm temperatures year-round and distinct wet and dry seasons. Temperate grasslands — including prairies, steppes, pampas, and veld — occur in the cooler middle latitudes and experience hot summers and cold winters.

What is the difference between a savanna and a prairie?

A savanna is a tropical grassland with scattered trees and a strong wet/dry seasonal cycle, found in warm regions such as Africa and northern Australia. A prairie is a temperate grassland of North America with few or no trees, hot summers, cold winters, and some of the most fertile soils on Earth.

Why are there so few trees in grasslands?

Three forces keep trees out: limited rainfall, frequent fire, and heavy grazing. There is usually enough water for grasses but not enough for a continuous forest, while fires and grazing animals destroy tree seedlings before they can mature. Grasses, which regrow from their base, recover quickly from all three.

Are grasslands endangered?

Yes. Temperate grasslands such as prairies, steppes, and pampas are among the most endangered biomes on the planet because their fertile soils make them prime targets for farming. More than half of the world's temperate grassland has already been converted to cropland or pasture, so protecting what remains is a major conservation priority.