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Several larger mountain ranges include the [[Sierra Madre Oriental|Sierra Madre]], the [[Sierra del Carmen]], the [[Organ Mountains]], the [[Franklin Mountains (Texas)|Franklin Mountains]], the [[Sacramento Mountains]], the [[Chisos Mountains]], the [[Guadalupe Mountains]], and the [[Davis Mountains]]. These create "[[sky island]]s" of cooler, wetter, [[climate]]s adjacent to, or within the desert, and such elevated areas have both coniferous and broadleaf woodlands, including forests along drainages and favored exposures. Though not technically within this ecoregion, the southernmost parts of the [[Sandia–Manzano Mountains]] are near the northernmost points of the region. The Magdalena–San Mateo Mountains and the [[Gila Wilderness|Gila]] Region border the Chihuahuan Desert at their lower elevations.
There are a few urban areas within the desert: the largest is [[Ciudad Juárez]] with almost two million inhabitants; [[Chihuahua, Chihuahua|Chihuahua]], [[Saltillo, Coahuila|Saltillo]], and [[Torreón, Coahuila|Torreón]]; and the US
According to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] the Chihuahuan Desert may be the most biologically diverse desert in the world as measured by species richness or endemism. The region has been badly degraded, mainly due to grazing.<ref name="WWF">{{WWF ecoregion |id=na1303 |name=Chihuahuan desert|accessdate=2010-10-22}}</ref> Many native grasses and other species have become dominated by woody native plants, including creosote bush and mesquite, due to overgrazing and other urbanization. The [[Mexican wolf]], once abundant, was nearly extinct and remains on the endangered species list.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lobos of the Southwest| url=https://mexicanwolves.org/|website=Mexican Wolves|accessdate=20 December 2017}}</ref>
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