North America's Four Major Deserts

North America contains four distinct major desert regions:

• Great Basin Desert – a cold desert covering much of Nevada and parts of Utah, Idaho, and Oregon, characterized by sagebrush and isolated mountain ranges.
• Mojave Desert – the smallest and driest, spanning southeastern California, southern Nevada, and corners of Arizona and Utah; home to Death Valley and Joshua trees.
• Sonoran Desert – the hottest and most biologically diverse, covering parts of California, Arizona, and Mexico; famous for saguaro cacti.
• Chihuahuan Desert – the largest North American desert, extending across West Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Mexico; features gypsum dunes and creosote bush.