Are the Russia Steppes actually steps?
This question demonstrates how different languages lead to misunderstandings between peoples. To us, steps are stages between lower and higher levels. To the Russians, steppes are vast flat stretches of level land with no ups and downs. We might call the steppelands plains, or prairies. There are, goodness knows, plenty of trails stepping up and down the earth’s massive mountains and plenty of rocky cliffs stepping down to the sea. But the steppelands of Russia step only east and west, north and south. The Russians named them with their word for “plain” but this immense region of the earth’s surface actually reaches in and through several other countries. To get a geographical picture of the steppes we should view them as part of Eurasia, the earth’s land mass that includes both Europe and Asia. The steppelands spread flat as a tabletop through the heart of this natural continent and their central position creates their particular features. Weather conditions, especially rainfall, is m
