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Article: Prairie
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
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PRAIRIE
PRAIRIE
is a major North American biome, or ecological region. It extends from central Canada to the Mexican border and from the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains to Indiana. Its topography ranges from rolling hills to the flatlands of former glacial lake bottoms. Its climate is characterized by relatively low annual precipitation (twenty to forty inches per year) and a high rate of evapotranspiration. This topography and climate contributed to the dominance of grasses, the subdomination of broadleaf plants, and sparse forest cover.
The region was originally sparsely populated by Native Americans who settled in greater numbers after the arrival of the horse. European ...