Steppe
Topic: Nomadic Empires: The Mongols · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 1 "Writing and City Life"; Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
A steppe is a vast, dry grassland that is better for grazing animals than for farming. The Mongol steppe lies in today's Mongolia. The Altai mountains are to its west, the Gobi desert to its south, and the Onon and Selenga rivers to its north. Winters are long and harsh, and summers are short and dry. This land could not support many people in one place, so the Mongols had no cities. Resources were scarce, so families competed for them. In bad winters or droughts, groups fought over pasture and raided each other's animals.
Example
Because the steppe was short of farm produce and iron goods, the Mongols traded horses, furs and game with China in return. When trade terms broke down, they raided north China. This pressure is why Chinese rulers built the Great Wall.
Don't confuse with
- Desert: a steppe is grassland where herds can graze. A desert like the Gobi, on Mongolia's southern edge, has too little grass to support herding.