steppe
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steppe
A treeless, expansive grassland in areas with a dry climate, such as those found in parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Riesige Herden von Bisons durchzogen einst die Steppen Nordamerikas.
Huge herds of bison once roamed the steppes of North America.
'Steppe' (steppe) is often combined with adjectives that describe vastness and emptiness. Common examples are 'endlose Steppe' (endless steppe), 'weite Steppe' (wide steppe), or 'karge Steppe' (barren steppe).
Die Reise führte uns durch die endlosen Steppen der Mongolei.
The journey took us through the endless steppes of Mongolia.
To describe a position within this landscape, you use 'in der Steppe' (in the steppe). For movement through the area, the preposition 'durch' (through) is typical.
In der Steppe leben nur wenige Tierarten, die an die Trockenheit angepasst sind.
Only a few animal species that are adapted to the dryness live in the steppe.
The word refers to a specific type of landscape. It is mostly used for treeless grasslands in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, or also for the prairies in North America.
Die kasachische Steppe ist eine der größten Trockensteppen der Welt.
The Kazakh steppe is one of the largest dry steppes in the world.
desert
'die Wüste' and 'die Steppe' can be confused because both are often dry and wide open. The most important difference is the plant life. In a desert, it rains very rarely, so there are hardly any plants there. A steppe is also dry and usually has no trees, but it is a grassland. So grass does grow there, even if it is not as green and dense as in humid areas. If almost nothing grows, 'Wüste' fits better; if it is a wide, dry landscape with grass, you say 'Steppe'.
Im Erdkundeunterricht suchen wir die Steppe auf der Karte von Zentralasien.
In geography class, we are looking for the steppe on the map of Central Asia.
Wegen der langen Trockenheit wirkt die Landschaft fast wie eine Wüste.
Because of the long drought, the landscape looks almost like a desert.