Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran Desert covers an area of approximately 320,000 km ² is the largest and one of the most versatile and most diverse desert regions of the world.

It determines in Mexico a large part of the federal state of Sonora, the eastern coastal region of Baja California and in the north bordering the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Arizona and the southeastern part of the state of California. In California, it is also called Low Desert, to distinguish them from the higher ground, adjacent to the north Mojave Desert. In the east, the Chihuahuan Desert adjoins. From the flat coastal plains in the west it rises to the east up to an altitude of 3,000 m on, with elongated mountain ranges ( Ranges) with intervening basins ( Basins ) alternating and ( Playas ) can occur in areas without water runoff after rainfall shallow lakes, which after the evaporation of water leads to the formation of salt pans. In California, near the border of Arizona is the Algodones Dunes, a classic desert sand.

The Sonoran Desert is home to, among others, the large and strictly protected " Saguaros " as well as many other cacti species. She is also a habitat for many reptiles such as rattlesnakes several species Gila Monster, the California tortoise and one of the largest land newts, the tiger salamander. You can also find an extraordinary density of bird species, such as the ways Cuckoo ( Roadrunner ). To protect the exceptional biodiversity diverse parts of the Sonoran Desert were declared protected areas with different protection status. Other parts are used intensively, the southern Algodones Dunes for driving with off-road vehicles.

Threatens the Sonoran Desert is mainly by livestock and agriculture, intensive groundwater extraction, urbanization, and mining.