Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert
Hayyikwiir Mat'aar (Mohave)
Desierto de Mojave (Spanish)
Sand dunes in Death Valley
Location within North America
Ecology
RealmNearctic
BiomeDeserts and xeric shrublands
Borders
Bird species230[1]
Mammal species98[1]
Geography
Area81,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi)
CountryUnited States
States
Coordinates35°N 116°W / 35°N 116°W / 35; -116
RiversColorado River, Mojave River
Climate typeCold desert (BWk) and hot desert (BWh)
Conservation
Conservation statusRelatively Stable/Intact[2]

The Mojave Desert (/mˈhɑːvi, mə-/ moh-HAH-vee, mə-;[3][4][5] Mohave: Hayikwiir Mat'aar;[6] Spanish: Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States.[7][2] Named for the indigenous Mohave people, it is located primarily in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada, with small portions extending into Arizona and Utah.[8][2]

The Mojave Desert, together with the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin deserts, form a larger North American Desert. Of these, the Mojave is the smallest and driest. It displays typical basin and range topography, generally having a pattern of a series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys. It is also the site of Death Valley, which is the lowest elevation in North America. The Mojave Desert is often colloquially called the "high desert", as most of it lies between 2,000 and 4,000 feet (610 and 1,220 m). It supports a diversity of flora and fauna.

The 54,000 sq. mile desert supports a number of human activities, including recreation, ranching, and military training.[9] The Mojave Desert also contains various silver, tungsten, iron and gold deposits.[10]: 124 

The spelling Mojave originates from the Spanish language, while the spelling Mohave comes from modern English. Both are used today, although the Mojave Tribal Nation officially uses the spelling Mojave. Mojave is a shortened form of Hamakhaave, an endonym in their native language, which means "beside the water".[11]

  1. ^ a b "The Atlas of Global Conservation". maps.tnc.org. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Mojave desert". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917]. Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.). English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-3-12-539683-8.
  4. ^ "Mojave". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  5. ^ "Mojave". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  6. ^ Munro, P., et al. A Mojave Dictionary. Los Angeles: UCLA, 1992
  7. ^ "The Mojave Desert". Blue Planet Biomes.
  8. ^ "Mojave Desert". Encyclopedia Britannica. March 25, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dibblee was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Mojave Indian Fact Sheet". bigorrin.org. Retrieved March 9, 2022.