Nomads are people who move from place to place without a permanent home, typically following a food source and their move was according to the season. The Mongols were nomads who came from the steppes northwest of China. A steppe is a vast area of dry, low grasslands. People who lived in steppes had a difficult time surviving due to the harsh climate. A khan is a Mongol ruler. Genghis Khan, a ruler who came into reign in 1206, had a name meaning, "ruler of the universe." Genghis united the Mongols and focused a great amount of attention on foreign conquest. By 1215, Genghis Khan had conquered the Jin kingdom which ruled in northern China. Soon after, Russia and Central Asia were conquered.