Correct Option
The Central Asian Steppe region is characterized by an extreme continental climate, experiencing significant temperature fluctuations between hot summers and very cold winters. Rainfall in this area is typically scanty, generally ranging from 250 mm to 500 mm annually. Historically, this region was the homeland of various nomadic pastoral communities, such as the Mongols, who adapted to the harsh environment by relying on extensive livestock herding across vast grasslands. These features directly correspond to the description: "Climate is extreme, rainfall is scanty and the people used to be nomadic herders."
Incorrect Options
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(a) African Savannah: This region experiences a tropical wet and dry climate, which, while having distinct seasons, is not typically described as "extreme" in the same continental sense as the steppes. Rainfall is seasonal and generally higher than the scanty levels described. While herding is prevalent, the historical context of widespread nomadic herding as the defining way of life for entire civilizations is more strongly associated with the Central Asian Steppes.
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(c) North American Prairie: The North American Prairies generally receive more rainfall than the Central Asian Steppes, supporting denser grasslands. While indigenous groups engaged in hunting and some seasonal movements, the region's climate is less extreme and rainfall less scanty than the description implies for a primary nomadic herding culture. Post-European settlement, it became a major agricultural belt.
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(d) Siberian Tundra: The Siberian Tundra is characterized by a polar climate with permafrost, extremely low temperatures, and very limited vegetation (mosses, lichens, dwarf shrubs), not the grasslands suitable for extensive nomadic herding of cattle, horses, or sheep as implied by the term "nomadic herders" in the context of "scanty rainfall." While some indigenous groups herd reindeer, the overall environmental description does not fit.