Map Making: Determining Grassland or Plain

[maltz]

Hi,

I am making a real-world regional map. While it is easy to determine where to put rivers and mountains, I have trouble to figure out the criteria for Grassland and Plain.

What is your criteria for determining Grassland or Plain? For example,

1. Rainfall (But Jungle has to be on Plain.)
2. Population density of the region in the real world (high population = grassland, low = plain)

Thanks.

 

[maltz]

Just answering myself here. I found some "agriculture map" online.
Those are usually good indications of whether the land is good for farming.
My own criteria is:

>30% agriculture usage = Grassland,
0-30% = Plain,
0% = Tundra or Desert.

 

[Revoran]

Jungle is on plain because in the real world when you clear a jungle the land quickly becomes infertile and reverts to grassland - Rainforest doesn't grow naturally, it takes many stages to grow and very specific conditions that may not exist any more now you've cleared the jungle.

Grassland is more for specifically very good, green fertile land prime for agriculture, ie most of Europe, Eastern United States, Eastern China etc. Australia's East Coast.

Plains are more general for un-forested land which is not as fertile as true grassland.

Grassland in Germany: http://www.cedcc.psu.edu/khanjan/europe_images/001_german countryside.jpg

Plains (African Savannah): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Acacia_Bild1086.jpg

Plains (Mongolian Steppe): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Mongolia_Ger.jpg

Plains (Spanish farmland) http://img3.photographersdirect.com/img/1/wm/pd924338.jpg

Plains (US Great Plains with hills) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2492/4003465999_bff2206096.jpg

- I live in Australia west of the "great dividing range" which runs along the east coast of the continent. Where I live is an agricultural region between the central deserts (further west) and very fertile coastal grassland/forest. Even travelling from where I live (similar to the american midwest) to the coast is an incredible difference - the coastal areas are bright green like Ireland, where I live is gold and brown. Where I live would probably have originally been plains forest (in civ terms) whereas the coast was originally grassland forest.