Chihuahuan Desert

E44830

The Chihuahuan Desert is a vast arid region spanning northern Mexico and parts of the southwestern United States, known for its high-elevation basins, rugged mountains, and unique desert flora such as agaves and yuccas.


Statements (76)
Predicate Object
instanceOf arid region
desert
ecoregion
area about 140,000 square miles
about 362,000 square kilometers
averageAnnualPrecipitation about 150 to 400 millimeters
biome desert and xeric shrublands
borderedBy Edwards Plateau
Great Plains
Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Oriental
Sonoran Desert
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
climate arid
semiarid
contains desert scrub
grasslands
high-elevation basins
intermittent streams
playas
rugged mountains
continent North America
country Mexico
United States
elevation mostly between 600 and 1,675 meters above sea level
fauna Bolson tortoise
Mexican gray wolf
burrowing owl
collared peccary
kit fox
pronghorn
roadrunner
various rattlesnake species
flora agaves
creosote bush
lechuguilla
mesquite
ocotillo
prickly pear cactus
yuccas
geology limestone basins and ranges
hasDesignation WWF ecoregion NA1303
hasSeasonality summer rainfall maximum
knownFor high biodiversity of cacti and succulents
high-elevation desert climate
unique desert grasslands
languageOfToponym Spanish
locatedIn Basin and Range Province
Mexican Plateau
northern Mexico
southwestern United States
majorRiver Rio Conchos
Rio Grande
namedAfter state of Chihuahua
partOf Nearctic ecozone
North American deserts
passesThrough Arizona
Chihuahua
Coahuila
Durango
New Mexico
Nuevo León
Texas
Zacatecas
precipitation primarily summer monsoon rains
protectedAreaIncludes Big Bend National Park
Cuatro Ciénegas protected areas
Janos Biosphere Reserve
White Sands National Park
soilType calcareous soils
gypsic soils
temperatureRange hot summers and cool to cold winters
threat agricultural expansion
groundwater extraction
overgrazing
urbanization


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