Question

The grasslands of South Africa is known as:
A. Pampas
B. Downs
C. Veld
D. Steppes

Answer 1

Hint: Here, Trees can only be found in a few places—frost, fire and grazing animals cause grass to grow but prevent trees from growing. The climate of these grasslands is highly variable, but the general trend is mild winters from May to September and hot or very hot summers from November to March, with moderate or significant variations in daily temperatures and abundant sunshine. It consists of a high plateau, a low land and a type of semi-arid savannah.

Complete Answer:
The veld grasslands of Africa are scattered around the democratic borders of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana in the southernmost region of the continent. This ecosystem is one of the most recently established biomes in the world. Velds are expansive grasslands bounded to the east and south by the Great Escarpment and the Highlands of Lesotho, and to the west by the Kalahari Desert.

Agricultural production in this area is not as widespread as in other parts of the world, but there is a mix of large industrial, smallholder and mining operations. Vegetation complexes in the veld regions are sometimes described as sweet and sour by reference to the palatability of the species. Livestock & wild game ranchers rely heavily on velds for their forage production, making grassland management an important component of local economies. Climatically, grasslands exist on a gradient of humid sub-humid to semi-arid conditions.

The choices are as follows:
- South America's grasslands are known as pampas. Therefore, Option A is the wrong one.
- The grasslands of Australia are known as the lowlands. Therefore, option B is also an incorrect alternative.
- The grasslands of South Africa are known as velds. Therefore, option C is the right option.
- The grasslands of Asia are known as steppes. Option D is not the correct answer, therefore.

Therefore, Choice C is the correct answer.

Note: Sandveld, in the general sense of the term, is a form of velvet characterised by dry, sandy soil, typical of certain regions of the Southern African region. Hardveld is the term used for some areas of rocky soil in Botswana, often located in the eastern part of the country. A certain subtropical forest ecoregion of Southern Africa has been officially identified as the Bushveld by the World Wide Fund for Nature.