Where is the Chihuahuan Desert?

The Chihuahuan Desert spans nearly 200,000 square miles (518,000 km2), encompassing portions of the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas, and of the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango. It contains the largest continuous area of desert in North America.

Most of the Chihuahuan Desert lies on the Mexican Plateau within the Basin and Range Province; there are a few mountain ranges, but not the continuous ranges found in the Sonoran or Great Basin deserts. The Chihuahuan Desert contains various types of vegetation depending on elevation. Creosote bush and tarbush dominate the lowest elevations, gradually shifting to soaptree yucca grasslands at higher elevations. At even higher elevations, desert grasslands dominate.

The Chihuahuan Desert features extreme summer temperatures, which frequently exceed 100 °F (38 °C), and lows below freezing in the winter. Precipitation varies across the desert, ranging from 10 inches (250 mm) in the west to only 1 inch (25 mm) in the rain-shadow areas of the east. The desert receives most precipitation during summer monsoons, which generate thunderstorms and flash floods.

The desert supports abundant wildlife, including birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and diverse plants. The Chihuahuan Desert includes several national parks, state parks, and other protected areas, which help to conserve its unique ecological value.