steppe -
The grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia. Similar to US prairie and African savannah.
steppe -
More properly, the name given vast cold, dry grass-plains.
Wikipedia
A steppe (from Russian степь, "step", via German Steppe, hence the spelling) in physical geography refers to a ecoregion, in the Montane grasslands and shrublands and Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. The prairie is an example of a steppe, though it is not usually called such. It may be semi-desert, or covered with grass or shrubs or both, depending on the season and latitude.
