Great Plains
Map of the Great Plains with a red line showing the 100th meridian
The Great Plains is a large space of level land or prairie in the middle and western parts of North America. It is a steppe or grassland.
The western boundary is the Rocky Mountains. In the east, the Great Plains grassland becomes the tallgrass of the Mississippi River basin. The prairie is (in whole or part) in eleven U.S. states, and in the southern parts of three Canadian provinces.
In the Great Plains, summers are hot and humid, but winters are cold. Bison used to number millions, and were the main food for people there. Now the area is mainly sown with cereal crops which feed cattle and people.
Other websites
- North Dakota State University: The Geologic Story of The Great Plains Archived 2009-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Kansas Heritage Group: Native Prairie, Preserve, Flowers, and Research
- Library of Congress: Great Plains
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln: The Great Plains Study
This short article about a place or feature in the United States can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.