The Mojave Desert: North America's Hottest Desert in the Southwestern U.S.

The Mojave Desert spans the southwestern United States, covering parts of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. It is the smallest of North America's four deserts but holds the record for the highest air temperature ever recorded on Earth: 56.7°C (134°F) at Furnace Creek, Death Valley, in 1913.

Its iconic landscapes include Joshua tree forests, sand dunes, salt flats, and dramatic mountain ranges. Despite extreme aridity, the Mojave supports unique flora and fauna adapted to scarce water and intense heat. It also hosts major military installations, renewable energy projects, and popular recreation areas like Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve.