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|elevation =
|geology =
|seas = Non
|rivers = [[Rio Grande]]
|climate = [[Hot desert climate|Hot desert]] (''BWh'') and [[hot semi-arid climate|hot semi-arid]] (''BSh'')
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|habitat_loss_ref =
|coordinates = {{coord|30|32|26|N|103|50|14|W|scale:5000000|display=inline,title}}
|protected = {{cvt|35,905|
|protected_ref = )<ref name = dinerstein>{{cite journal |first1=Eric |last1=Dinerstein |first2=David |last2=Olson |first3=Anup |last3=Joshi |display-authors=2 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |year=2017 |at=pp. 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |pmid=28608869 |pmc=5451287 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
|embedded =
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Owing to its inland position and higher elevation than the [[Sonoran Desert]] to the west, mostly varying from {{convert|480| to |1800|m|0|abbr=on}} in elevation,<ref name= EOE >{{cite web | url = http://www.eoearth.org/article/Chihuahuan_desert | title = Chihuahuan Desert | publisher = Encyclopedia of Earth | access-date = February 16, 2013}}</ref> the desert has a slightly milder climate in the summer (though usually daytime June temperatures are in the range of {{convert|32|to|40|C|F|abbr=on|disp=or}}), with mild to cool winters and occasional to frequent freezes.<ref name= NPS1 /> The hottest temperatures in the desert occur in lower elevation areas and valleys, including near the Rio Grande from south of El Paso into the Big Bend, and the Bolson de Mapimi.<ref name= EOE /> A subtropical temperature regime describes lower elevations in the Texas Big Bend region up to the Presidio and Candelaria areas, then southward into similar elevations, while a warm temperate temperature regime describes higher elevations and further north. The average annual temperature in the desert varies from about {{convert|13|to|22|C|F}}, depending on elevation and latitude.
The mean annual precipitation for the Chihuahuan Desert is {{convert|235|mm|in|abbr=on}} with a range of approximately {{convert|150|–|400|mm|0|abbr=on}}, although it receives more precipitation than most other warm desert ecoregions.<ref name= NMSU />
==Flora==
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The creosote bush (''[[Larrea tridentata]]'') is the dominant plant species on gravelly and occasional sandy soils in valley areas within the Chihuahuan Desert. The other species found with creosote bush depend on factors including the soil type, elevation, and degree of slope. Viscid acacia (''[[Vachellia vernicosa]]''), and tarbush (''[[Flourensia cernua]]'') dominate northern portions, while broom dalea (''[[Psorothamnus scoparius]]'') occurs on sandy soils in western portions. ''[[Yucca]]'' and ''[[Opuntia]]'' species are abundant on slopes and uplands in most areas, while Arizona rainbow cactus (''[[Echinocereus polyacanthus]]'') and Mexican fire-barrel cactus (''[[Ferocactus pilosus]]'') inhabit portions near the US–Mexico border.
[[Herbaceous plant]]s, such as bush muhly (''[[Muhlenbergia porteri]]''), blue grama (''[[Bouteloua gracilis]]''), gypsum grama (''[[Bouteloua breviseta|B. breviseta]]''),
Desert or arid grasslands comprise 20% of this desert and are often mosaics of shrubs and grasses. They include purple three-awn (''[[Aristida purpurea]]''), black grama (''[[Bouteloua eriopoda]]''), and sideoats grama (''[[Bouteloua curtipendula]]''). Early Spanish explorers reported encountering grasses that were "belly high to a horse"; most likely these were big alkali sacaton (''[[Sporobolus wrightii]]'') and tobosa (''[[Pleuraphis mutica]]'') along floodplain or bottomland areas.<ref name="WWF"/>
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==Protected areas==
A 2017 assessment found that {{cvt|35,905|
==Gallery==
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