Chihuahuan Desert Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids 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 and 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
Rivers	Rio Grande
Climate type	Hot desert and hot semi-arid
Conservation
Conservation status	Vulnerable
Global 200	Yes
Protected	35,905 km² (13,863 sq mi) (7%)

The Chihuahuan Desert (also known as Desierto de Chihuahua) is a huge desert area. It covers parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. You can find it in West Texas, parts of New Mexico, and a small bit of southeastern Arizona. In Mexico, it covers a large part of Chihuahua, plus areas in Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, and Nuevo León.

This desert is the largest desert in North America. It covers about 501,896 square kilometers (193,783 square miles). The Chihuahuan Desert is quite young, having existed for only about 8,000 years.

Exploring the Chihuahuan Desert
- Cities in the Desert
- Unique Wildlife and Plants
Desert Climate
- Rainfall and Temperatures
Desert Plants
- Common Plants
- Grasses and Other Shrubs
Protected Areas
- Examples of Protected Areas
Images for kids
See also

Exploring the Chihuahuan Desert

The desert landscape often has flat areas and many small mountain ranges.

The Chihuahuan Desert has several large mountain ranges. These include the Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra del Carmen, and Guadalupe Mountains. These mountains create "sky islands." These are cooler, wetter areas right next to or inside the desert. These high places have forests with both pine trees and broadleaf trees.

Cities in the Desert

Few big cities are located within the desert. The largest is Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, with almost two million people. Other important cities include Chihuahua, Saltillo, and Torreón in Mexico. In the US, major cities are El Paso and Albuquerque. Many smaller towns also dot this desert region.

Unique Wildlife and Plants

The World Wide Fund for Nature says the Chihuahuan Desert might be the most diverse desert in the world. This means it has the most types of plants and animals. However, the area has been harmed, mostly by animals grazing too much. Many native grasses have been replaced by woody plants like creosote bush. The Mexican wolf, which used to be common, is now an endangered species. Scientists also predict that climate change could cause many bird, mammal, and butterfly species to be replaced by other species by 2055.

Desert Climate

The Chihuahuan Desert is mostly a rain shadow desert. This means two large mountain ranges block most of the moisture. The Sierra Madre Occidental to the west blocks Pacific Ocean moisture. The Sierra Madre Oriental to the east blocks moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.

Rainfall and Temperatures

The desert usually has a dry climate. It has one main rainy season in late summer. A smaller amount of rain falls in early winter. Most of the rain comes between late June and early October. This is when moist air from the Gulf of Mexico moves into the region. Sometimes, a tropical storm moves inland and brings rain.

The desert is higher up than the Sonoran Desert to its west. Its elevation ranges from about 480 to 1,800 meters (1,575 to 5,900 feet). This higher elevation means the desert has slightly milder summers. Daytime temperatures in June are usually between 32 and 40 degrees Celsius (90 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit). Winters are mild to cool, with occasional freezing temperatures.

The average yearly temperature in the desert is about 13 to 22 degrees Celsius (55 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit). This depends on how high up it is and how far north or south it is. The desert gets about 235 millimeters (9.3 inches) of rain each year. This is more rain than most other warm deserts. Snowfall is rare, except in higher areas.

Desert Plants

A Pronghorn antelope among yucca plants in the Otero Mesa.

The creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) is the most common plant. It grows on rocky and sandy soils in the valleys. Other plants found with creosote bush depend on the soil type and elevation.

Common Plants

Viscid acacia (Vachellia vernicosa) and tarbush (Flourensia cernua) are common in the northern parts.
Broom dalea (Psorothamnus scoparius) grows on sandy soils in the west.
Yucca and Opuntia (prickly pear cactus) are common on slopes and uplands.
Arizona rainbow cactus (Echinocereus polyacanthus) and Mexican fire-barrel cactus (Ferocactus pilosus) grow near the US–Mexico border.

Grasses and Other Shrubs

Grasses like bush muhly (Muhlenbergia porteri) and blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) are common. They grow in desert grasslands and near the mountains. Lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla) is a very important plant. It is one of the plants that shows you are in the Chihuahuan Desert. Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) are also common.

Desert grasslands make up about 20% of this desert. They are often a mix of shrubs and grasses. Early Spanish explorers said they saw grasses "belly high to a horse." These were likely tall grasses like big alkali sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii) and tobosa (Pleuraphis mutica) in floodplains.