Grassland

Introduction
Origin
Environment
Biota
Population and community development and structure
Biological productivity

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

World map highlighting major grassland regions with three color codes: yellow for savanna, green for prairie, and orange for steppe. Savannas are shown in parts of South America, Africa, and Australia; prairies in central North America, South America, and Eurasia; and steppes across Eurasia, North America, Africa, and Australia. A legend at the top lists key examples of each grassland type by region.

Brown grassland stretches toward gently rolling hills under a purple dusk sky, with the moon visible above the horizon.

Wide view of rolling green grassland with scattered trees and distant hills in Inner Mongolia, China.

Figure 1: Principal regions where significant areas of natural grassland occur.

World map displaying the distribution of seven major biomes: grassland and savanna, temperate deciduous forest, taiga (boreal forest), desert, tropical rainforest, tundra, and areas not classified. Each biome is represented by a distinct color, illustrating their global locations and extents across continents.

Quizzes

Chutes d'Ekom - a waterfall on the Nkam river in the rainforest near Melong, in the western highlands of Cameroon in Africa.

Ecosystems

Related Questions

How can Brandt’s vole turn Mongolian grassland into near-desert?
How can rotational grazing protect grasses and soil from permanent damage?
How can seasonal flooding create and maintain a grassland?
How do elephants, grazing animals, and fire maintain some East African grasslands?
How do grass seeds spread by wind and by animals?
How do prescribed burns help maintain grasslands and limit woody plant growth?
How do rhizomes and stolons help grasses spread vegetatively?
How do tropical grasslands differ from temperate grasslands?
How do underground roots and rhizomes help grasses survive fires?
How does livestock trampling lead to soil erosion on rangelands?
How does mixed-grass prairie differ from tallgrass and shortgrass prairie?
How does overgrazing damage grassland vegetation and soil?
How does rainfall affect the grasses that grow across North American prairies?
How have cattle and sheep grazing changed Australia’s Mitchell grasslands?
How have farming, grazing, and burning changed natural grasslands around the world?
How have introduced rabbits affected Australian rangeland ecosystems?
How is rangeland different from pastureland?
How much rainfall do tropical grasslands usually receive each year?
Where are the growing points of grass stems and leaves located?
Where are the largest temperate grasslands located?
Where are the largest tropical grasslands located?
Which animals historically lived in North American prairie grasslands?
Which environmental conditions prevent trees and shrubs from taking over grasslands?
Which grasses are common in the Sahel region of Africa?
Which grasses dominate dry grasslands in Australia?
Which grasses dominate shortgrass prairie?
Which grasses dominate tallgrass prairie?
Which large herbivores and predators live in East African grasslands?
Why are grasses able to regrow after grazing, fire, or mowing?
Why are grasshoppers important in grassland ecosystems?
Why are rangelands often located on land that is unsuitable for permanent crop farming?
Why can repeated grazing or fire increase new growth in grasslands?
Why can some Sahel areas be described as savanna or scrubland instead of grassland?
Why did some grasslands expand during the ice ages?
Why do many grassland soils have a dark upper layer rich in organic material?
Why do sandbur seeds stick to animal fur and human feet?
Why do temperate grasslands have larger seasonal temperature changes than tropical grasslands?
Why have deer and sheep severely damaged tussock grasslands in New Zealand?
Why is the Eurasian Steppe similar to the North American prairie?

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External Websites

National Geographic - Grassland Biome
Arizona State University - The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - Ask A Biologist - Grassland Biome
Animal Corner - Grassland Facts and Animals
Kansas State University - Plant Ecophys Lab - Grassland Ecology
National Center for Biotechnology Information - Diversity in and Among Grasslands
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - What are grassland and pasture areas

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

grassland - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
grassland - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Grassland

vegetation

Written by

Jeremy M.B. Smith

Associate Professor of Geography and Planning, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales. Station Leader, 1996 Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition to Macquarie Island, Australian...

Jeremy M.B. Smith

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026 •History

Grassland, area in which the vegetation is dominated by a nearly continuous cover of grasses. Grasslands occur in environments conducive to the growth of this plant cover but not to that of taller plants, particularly trees and shrubs. The factors preventing establishment of such taller, woody vegetation are varied. Grasslands are one of the most widespread of all the major vegetation types of the world. This is so, however, only because human manipulation of the...

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