- On the political map of the planet
- Features of the relief and climate of the Chihuahua Desert
- Chihuahua Desert Climate
- Desert vegetation
The territories located on the border of Mexico and the United States, two states located in North America, are characterized by the presence of several deserts, the border between which is extremely difficult to draw. One of them, which has a name that sounds unusual for a European ear, is the Chihuahua Desert.
On the political map of the planet
The political map shows that this desert occupies several states of two states, in fact, Mexico and the United States of America. The United States gave its states to Chihuahua - Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, of course, not completely. So, the territory of Texas, located west of the Pecos River, southeastern lands of Arizona, belongs to the desert.
On the Mexican side, the territory is occupied by five states, one of them has the same name as the desert itself - Chihuahua (it is not clear who gave the name to whom). Also, in whole or in part, the desert is located on the lands of other states of the Mexican state:
- the state of Durango, which gave up the northwestern lands;
- Zacatecas, who has a modest slice in the north;
- Nuevo Leon, a small part of the land in the west;
- Coahuila.
The desert is on the list of record holders; it occupies quite large territories (more than 360 thousand square kilometers). Therefore, in North America, Chihuahua is the second (honorable) place in terms of area, it is second only to the Great Basin desert. In general, the desert ranks third in the Western Hemisphere in terms of area.
Features of the relief and climate of the Chihuahua Desert
In fact, the Chihuahua Desert is located not only between two states, it also occupies the land between two mountain systems - the Western and Eastern parts of the Sierra Madre (both of which belong to Mexico). A detailed physical map of the area demonstrates that the Chihuahua Desert is mostly flat.
But their character is heterogeneous, throughout the territory there are numerous mountain ranges. There are also several rather high mountain ranges, separated by valleys, at an altitude of 1100-1600 meters is the central highland, called the Altiplano.
Chihuahua Desert Climate
The heterogeneity of the geomorphological composition of the desert affects the climatic features characteristic of these territories. The microclimate on the plain differs sharply from the microclimate of the mountain ranges; the climatic conditions of Chihuahua are rather similar to those of the Sonoran Desert, a neighbor to the west. There is a difference in altitude, the minimum height is 600 meters above sea level, the maximum is 1675 meters.
A small difference in altitude determines a rather mild climate that is established in the summer. The average daytime temperature in June is at around + 30 ° С, although sometimes there are ups up to + 35 ° С, on some days up to + 40 ° С. In winter, the weather in the Chihuahua Desert is strongly influenced by northerly winds.
The amount of precipitation is minimal, according to statistical data, does not exceed 250 mm per year. According to this indicator, the Chihuahua Desert overtakes the neighboring deserts (the Great Basin, Mojave and Sonora), although, in general, it is clear that there is not enough moisture.
The difference in the amount of precipitation falling, in fact, in the desert and in the mountainous regions is significant. On the plateau - an average of 220 mm, in the eastern part of the Sierra Madre - about 1000 mm. Moreover, most of the precipitation falls during the monsoon, which occurs in the last decade of summer. In winter, in rare cases, you can see the fall of snow, and in high-altitude regions.
Desert vegetation
According to the classification of biomes common in Mexico, the Chihuahua Desert belongs to arid and semi-arid vegetation zones. The first zone is characterized by an extremely low amount of precipitation, due to which droughts are observed for 8-12 months. The semi-arid zone is characterized by a large amount of incoming moisture; accordingly, the dry period is reduced to 6–8 months.
Among the representatives of the flora kingdom, small cacti are most widespread, followed by plants characterized by resistance to cold and low temperatures, including yucca and agave. Opuntia and various types of acacias are also widespread.
Also on the territory of the Chihuahua Desert, you can observe the so-called Texas-Mexican savannahs. These regions are marked by a large number of cereals and herbs. Although both cactus and acacias are also quite common plants here.
The Chihuahua Desert, located in the southeastern region of the American state of Arizona, resembles a desert steppe. This region is characterized, firstly, by the presence of herbaceous plants, and secondly, clumps of xerophilous shrubs and lonely standing trees can be found. One of the scientists suggested calling this type of vegetation "savannah Apaches", after the name of the Indian tribe that has long lived in these territories.
