Route 66 Sign on Mojave Desert Premium Photographic Print
Witold Skrypczak
24 in. x 18 in.
Buy This at Allposters.com
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California; southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona in the United States. Named after the Mohave tribe of Native Americans, it displays typical basin and range topography. Higher elevations (above 2,000 feet) in the Mojave, are commonly referred to as the High Desert; however, Death Valley is the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below sea level, and is one of the Mojave Desert's more famous places.
The Mojave Desert's boundaries are generally defined by the presence of Yucca brevifolia (Joshua trees); considered an indicator species for this desert. The topographical boundaries include the Tehachapi together with the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges. The mountain boundaries are quite distinct since they are outlined by the two largest faults in California: the San Andreas and the Garlock. The Great Basin shrub steppe lies to the north, and the warmer Sonoran Desert (the Low Desert) lies to the south and east. The desert is believed to support between 1,750 and 2,000 species of plants.
While most of the Mojave desert is sparsely populated, several large cities can be found there including Lancaster, California and Victorville, California, with the largest being Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada.
