The
Asian Steppe is the
Asian part of the
Eurasian Steppe. Some scholars wrongly use the term "Asian Steppe" to describe the vast region of steppes of
Eurasia. The
Pontic Steppe of western
Russia and of
Ukraine and the steppes of the Hungarian plain are all in
Eastern Europe. The Asian Steppe itself includes mainly the Mongolian steppes and the Kazakh steppes. There are three main expanses of the Eurasian Steppe. The western steppe, central steppe and the eastern steppe. The Western Steppe begins near the mouth of the Danube and extends northeast almost to Kazan and then southeast to the southern tip of the Ural Mountains. The Central Steppe or Kazakh Steppe extends from the Urals to Dzungaria. To the south it grades off into semi-desert and desert which is interrupted by two great rivers, the Amu Darya (Oxus) and Syr Darya (Jaxartes) which flow northwest into the Aral Sea and provide irrigation agriculture. The eastern steppe covering the area of present-day Mongolia, was the first home of the
Turks,
Huns, and the
Mongols.