Baja California Desert Article Index for
Baja California
Website Links For
Baja California
 

Information About

Baja California Desert





SETTING

The ecoregion covers 77,700 square kilometers (30,000 square miles), and includes most of the Peninsula's western slope. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the east by the Peninsular Ranges . North of 30º north latitude, the Baja California desert transitions to the California Chaparral And Woodlands . The southern tip of the peninsula lies within the San Lucan Xeric Scrub ecoregion.

The climate is dry and subtropical. Although rainfall is low, the Pacific Ocean provides some humidity and moderates the temperature compared to the Sonoran Desert , which lies on the east slope of the Peninsular Ranges.


FLORA

The ecoregion is mostly covered by Xeric Shrub s, which create varying associations based on elevation and soil conditions. The ecoregion has close to 500 Species of Vascular Plant s, of which a number are Endemic .


EXTERNAL LINK

Baja California desert (World Wildlife Fund)