This region is also known as the Turan Type, as it reaches its greatest extension in the lowland of Turan, which stretches from the Caspian eastward towards the Pamirs, and from the northern edge of the Plateau of Iran northward, beyond the Sea of Aral, to the Kirghiz steppes. The climate is continental, with hot summers, cool winters and a low rainfall. In the southern part of the United States the area extends from the Rockies eastward to 100° W. In South America the west of pampas, and in Australia much of the Murray basin, may be included in this region.
The natural vegetation is grassland as, except in favored districts, there is insufficient rainfall for trees. In Turan nomadic herdsmen pasture their flocks on the steppes in spring, but migrate to the lower slopes of the mountains in summer. Stock-rearing is important, especially in the 'newer' countries. Where the annual rainfall exceeds 12 inches, wheat and other cereals can be grown. Specially favored areas in this respect are the pampas and the Murray basin. Fruit is cultivated on irrigated lands, like the Riverina district in the Murray basin, and that round Mendoza and other centres lying amidst the Andean foothills. Much fruit is also grown in Turan where cotton, too is an important crop.
Iran Plateau Type. Plateaus of moderate elevation, like the Plateaus of Iran and Asia Minor, and the Tarim Basin, have a climate resembling that of the interior Lowlands, except that the summers are not quite so hot, and the winters are cooler. Outsides Asia we may include in this type the plateaus lying between the main chain of the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada; parts of the Mexican Plateau, and the Veld of South Africa. The natural vegetation is grassland. Stock-rearing is the chief occupation.
The high plateau or Tibet-Type. Owing to its great elevation (12,000 to 14,000 feet) and to the isolating effect of mountain barriers, Tibet has an extreme climate with very cold winters. Some agriculture is carried on in sheltered valleys, but the people are mainly pastoral, breeding sheep, goats, and yaks for food, wool, and transport purpose. The Plateau of Bolivia, .as it lies nearer the Equator and not so far from the ocean as Tibet, has a less extreme climate. Hardy cereals and potatoes are the chief crops. The dwarf camels, known as alpacas, vicunas, and llamas, are raised for meat and wool. The sure-footed llama, which can carry loads of 100 pounds, and can go for or five days with little food and no water, is the chief transport animal.
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page", St. Augustine said. Here at www.travel-university.org we believe that every page must be read and explored. Travel is an avenue of learning that no text or classroom can teach. The world is a living classroom and you the student. We invite you to the www.travel-university.org library where you can read general interest and detail oriented articles.
