The Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert
pronounced: (mo HA vee)

The Mojave Desert is home to Death Valley and many unique plants and animals. It covers (125,000 square kilometers) of Arizona, California, and Nevada in the southwestern United States.

Once covered by shallow seas, the Mojave Desert is now the driest of the North American deserts. It is also the smallest. Like the Great Basin, the Mojave is a high desert. The land in this desert area reaches up to 5,500 feet (1,700 meters) above sea level.

In addition to the mountains, the Mojave Desert also has areas of sand dunes and caves to explore.

The Mojave Desert is a rainshadow desert. The mountains between the desert area and the Pacific Ocean stop any moisture from getting to the lands of the Mojave. Those mountains made it possible for this desert to form.