Great Basin
Great Basin | |
|---|---|
Relief map with Great Basin overlay | |
| Coordinates: 40°40′N 117°40′W / 40.667°N 117.667°W | |
| Location | United States, Mexico |
| Area | |
| • Total | 209,162 sq mi (541,730 km2)[1] |
| Highest elevation | 14,505 ft (4,421 m) (Mount Whitney summit) |
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets to the ocean, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California. It is noted for both its arid climate and the basin and range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin in Death Valley to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than 100 miles (160 km) away at the summit of Mount Whitney. The region spans several physiographic divisions, biomes, ecoregions, and deserts.
- ^ "What is the WBD?". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-10-23. GIS files used for both the acreage calculations and the overlay of the above map.
- ^ "Great Basin (2087988)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-10-01.