An expanse of grass
The savannah is a type of prairie consisting of fast-growing herbaceous and shrubby plants generally associated to groups of big deciduous trees. The word savannah comes from a Caribbean indigenous word meaning “flattish expanse of grass where herbaceous plants taller than a man grow”.
The savannah separates the tropical forest from dry desert areas and can be either a “wet savannah” with more than 1,200 mm of rainfall a year, a “dry savannah” with 500-1,100 mm a year or a “spiny savannah” with less rain.
In wet and dry savannahs, even if it rains enough to let forests grow, the heat causes so much water to evaporate as to prevent a sufficiently humid climate from setting in. This is aggravated by the fact rains are concentrated over few months of the year (the rainy season), while in the rest of the year the climate is dry (dry season) and prevents forest trees from growing.
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From the Multimedia section
Facts
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From game “preserves” to natural reserves
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In the old times, parks were set up as game "preserves"...
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