Chihuahuan Desert

Chihuahuan Desert
Chihuahuan desert landscape in Big Bend National Park
Location map of Chihuahuan Desert
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Biome	Deserts and xeric shrublands
Borders	List Arizona Mountains forests Colorado Plateau shrublands Edwards Plateau savanna Meseta Central matorral Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests Sonoran Desert Tamaulipan matorral Tamaulipan mezquital Western short grasslands
Geography
Area	501,896 km2 (193,783 sq mi)
Countries	Mexico United States
States	List Chihuahua Coahuila Durango Nuevo León Sonora Zacatecas Arizona New Mexico Texas
Coordinates	30°32′26″N 103°50′14″W / 30.54056°N 103.83722°W / 30.54056; -103.83722
Oceans or seas	Non
Rivers	Rio Grande
Climate type	Hot desert (BWh) and hot semi-arid (BSh)
Conservation
Conservation status	Vulnerable
Global 200	Yes
Protected	35,905 km2 (13,863 sq mi) (7%)[1]

The Chihuahuan Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Chihuahua, Desierto Chihuahuense) is a desert ecoregion designation covering parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies much of far West Texas, the middle to lower Rio Grande Valley and the lower Pecos Valley in New Mexico, and a portion of southeastern Arizona, as well as the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau. It is bordered on the west by the Sonoran Desert, the Colorado Plateau, and the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, along with northwestern lowlands of the Sierra Madre Oriental range. Its largest, continual expanse is located in Mexico, covering a large portion of the state of Chihuahua, along with portions of Coahuila, north-eastern Durango, the extreme northern part of Zacatecas, and small western portions of Nuevo León. With an area of about 501,896 km² (193,783 sq mi),^[1] it is the largest hot desert in North America.^[2] The desert is fairly young, existing for only 8000 years.^[3]