Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona and California). It is the hottest desert in both Mexico and the United States.[3] It has an area of 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 sq mi).

Quick facts: Sonoran Desert, Ecology, Realm, Biome, Border... ▼

Sonoran Desert
Saguaro National Park in Arizona
Sonoran desert
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Biome	Deserts and xeric shrublands
Borders	List Arizona Mountains forests Baja California desert California coastal sage and chaparral California montane chaparral and woodlands Chihuahuan Desert Colorado Plateau shrublands Gulf of California xeric scrub Mojave Desert Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine-oak forests Sonoran-Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forests
Bird species	246[1]
Mammal species	120[1]
Geography
Area	222,998 km2 (86,100 sq mi)
Countries	Mexico United States
States	Arizona California Baja California Baja California Sur Sonora
Coordinates	32°15′N 112°55′W
Rivers	Colorado River
Conservation
Conservation status	Relatively Stable/Intact[2]
Habitat loss	10.5%[1]
Protected	39%[1]

In phytogeography, the Sonoran Desert is within the Sonoran Floristic province of the Madrean Region of southwestern North America, part of the Holarctic realm of the northern Western Hemisphere. The desert contains a variety of unique endemic plants and animals, notably, the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) and organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi).

The Sonoran Desert is clearly distinct from nearby deserts (e.g., the Great Basin, Mojave, and Chihuahuan deserts) because it provides subtropical warmth in winter and two seasons of rainfall (in contrast, for example, to the Mojave's dry summers and cold winters). This creates an extreme contrast between aridity and moisture.[4]