Sonoran Desert

Map of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.

Mountains in the Sonoran Desert

Anaglyph (3D photograph) of Saguaro National Park at dusk.

The Sonoran Desert (sometimes called the Gila Desert after the Gila River or the Low Desert in opposition to the higher Mojave Desert) is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the Mexican state of Sonora. It is one of the largest and hottest deserts in North America, with an area of 311,000 km² (120,000 mi² ). The desert contains a variety of unique plants and animals, such as the saguaro cactus. On January 17, 2001, 2,008 km² (496,337 acres ) of the Sonoran Desert was set aside as the Sonoran Desert National Monument for the purpose of enhancing resource protection.

Location

The Sonoran Desert wraps around the northern end of the Gulf of California, from northeastern Baja California through southeastern California and southwestern Arizona to western Sonora. It is bounded on the west by the Peninsular Ranges, which separate it from the California chaparral and woodlands and Baja California desert ecoregions of the Pacific slope. To the north, the Sonoran Desert transitions to the cold-winter Mojave, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau deserts. To the east, the deserts transition to the coniferous Arizona Mountains forests and Sierra Madre Occidental forests at higher elevations. The Sonoran-Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest marks the transition from the Sonoran Desert to the tropical dry forests of Sinaloa.

The desert's sub-regions include the Colorado Desert and Yuma Desert. In the 1951 publication, Vegetation of the Sonoran Desert, Forrest Shreve divided the Sonoran Desert into seven regions according to characteristic vegetation: Lower Colorado Valley, Arizona Upland, Plains of Sonora, Foothills of Sonora, Central Gulf Coast, Vizcaino Region, and Magdalena Region. (see An Overview of the Sonoran Desert, external link below). Many ecologists now consider Shreve's Vizcaino and Magdalena regions, which lie on the western side of the Baja California Peninsula, to be a separate ecoregion, the Baja California desert.

Ecology

The Sonoran Desert includes 60 mammal species, 350 bird species, 20 amphibian species, 100+ reptile species, 30 native fish species, and more than 2000 native plant species. This desert is the only place in the world where the famous saguaro cactus grows in the wild. Despite the common stereotype that it does not rain in deserts, the Sonoran Desert is considered the wettest desert in the world, receiving 3 to 15 inches per year ^[1] (depending on location in the desert).

Flora

Many plants not only survive the harsh conditions of the Sonoran Desert, but they actually thrive. Many have evolved to have specialized adaptations to the desert climate. The Sonoran Desert includes such plant from the agave family, palm family, cactus family, legume family, and many others.

Population

The desert is home to seventeen aboriginal American cultures.

The largest city in the Sonoran Desert is Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A. This metropolitan area in central Arizona is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States, with a population of 4 million.^[2] In the North Phoenix area, desert land is developed at a rate of approximately 4,000 m² (1 acre ) per hour.^[3] The next largest cities are Tucson, in southern Arizona, U.S.A., with a metro area population of around 900,000,^[2] and Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, whose municipality also has a population of around 900,000. The municipality of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico has a population of around 700,000.^[4][5]

References

See also

• List of deserts by area
• List of plants by common name (Sonoran Desert)
• Communities in the Sonoran Desert
• Fauna of the Sonoran Desert
• Mountain Ranges of the Sonoran Desert
• Sonoran Desert National Monument
• Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert
• List of Sonoran Desert birds (Arizona)
• Yuma Desert

External links

• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
• Timeline of the Sonoran desert
• An Overview of the Sonoran Desert, by William G. McGinnies
• The Sonoran Desert Naturalist
• Very short overview of Sonoran Desert Geology
• Map of the Sonoran Desert
• Sonoran desert (World Wildlife Fund)
• Sonoran Desert images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu (slow modem version)

Links to parks and recreational areas within the Sonoran Desert

• Saguaro National Park Page
• South Mountain Park / Preserve

Colorado River system
Dams and aqueducts (see US Bureau of Reclamation)	Shadow Mountain Dam • Granby Dam • Glen Canyon Dam • Hoover Dam • Davis Dam • Parker Dam • Palo Verde Diversion Dam • Imperial Dam • Laguna Dam • Morelos Dam • Colorado River Aqueduct • San Diego Aqueduct • Central Arizona Project Aqueduct • All-American Canal • Coachella Canal • Redwall Dam
Natural features	Colorado River • Rocky Mountains • Colorado River Basin • Grand Lake • Sonoran desert • Mojave desert • Imperial Valley • Colorado Plateau • Grand Canyon • Black Canyon • Glen Canyon • Marble Canyon • New River • Paria Canyon • Gulf of California/Sea of Cortez • Salton Sea
Tributaries	Dirty Devil River • Dolores River • Escalante River • Gila River • Green River • Gunnison River • Kanab Creek • Little Colorado River • Paria River • San Juan River • Virgin River
Major reservoirs	Fontenelle Reservoir • Flaming Gorge Reservoir • Taylor Park Reservoir • Navajo Reservoir • Lake Powell • Lake Mead • Lake Mohave • Lake Havasu
Dependent states	Arizona • California • Colorado • Nevada • New Mexico • Utah (See: Colorado River Compact)
Designated areas	Glen Canyon National Recreation Area • Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Coordinates: 32°15′36″N, 112°55′34″W

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