VEGETATION 
spruces, firs, pines, and larches in the north, poplars, birches, and other 
deciduous trees further south. 
3. The temperate lowlands, or Steppes, of Western Siberia 
and Western Turkistan, where the rainfall occurs chiefly in early summer, 
and is scanty in parts, Here the natural vegetation is grass, but this 
is being supplanted by agriculture wherever the rainfall is adequate or 
irrigation possible, 
4. The plateaux of the interior, including the tableland of 
Arabia and plain of Mesopotamia. "These suffer from drought, and, save 
for a few favoured valleys where irrigation is possible, they are either 
barren or poor grasslands. The temperature is reduced by elevation, 
but differs considerably in different parts, and the seasonal range is great. 
The date-palm is important in Arabia and Southern Mesopotamia. 
5. The Mediterranean seaboard is characterized by its mild, 
wet winters and hot, dry summers. Here vegetation has to withstand the 
summer drought; and hence the olive flourishes, as its thick-skinned 
leaves prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture. The same is also 
true of the fig, while the vine can obtain moisture from a great depth 
by means of its long root. Wheat is cultivated, as it can be sown in 
autumn, so as to benefit by the winter rains, and then be reaped in early 
summer, "This type of climate and products also prevails to some extent 
over the western plateaux, though, on account of the inadequate rainfall, 
they also belong to Class 4. 
6. The Monsoon area, embracıng India, Indo-China, China, Korea, 
the plains of Manchuria, and the Japanese Isles. "This region, with the 
exception of a few distriets already mentioned, receives the bulk of its 
rainfall in summer, brought by warm oceanic winds, and is exposed in 
winter to relatively cold land winds. As the climate is favourable for 
agriculture, a large part of the area is under cultivation, the rest being 
9ceupied by forests, or mixed grass and woodland. "The temperature, 
and therefore the productions, vary much with the latitude, but rice, tea, 
and cotton are characteristic crops throughout the greater part of the 
region. One of the most typical products of this area is the bamboo, 
while the coco-nut palm thrives in the south. 
7. The equatorial districts, embracing the Malay Peninsula and 
East Indies. Here, on account of latitude and oceanic influences, the 
range of temperature is slight, and the average is high, but moderated by 
altitude in many parts. The rainfall is heavy and occurs at all seasons,