Great Basin section
| Great Basin | |
| Region | |
 Relief Map with Great Basin Overlay
|
|
| Countries | United States, Mexico |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°40′N 117°40′W / 40.667°N 117.667°WCoordinates: 40°40′N 117°40′W / 40.667°N 117.667°W |
| Highest point | Mount Whitney summit |
| - location | Sierra Nevada |
| - elevation | 14,505 ft (4,421.1 m) |
| - coordinates | 36°34′42.89″N 118°17′31.18″W / 36.5785806°N 118.2919944°W |
| Lowest point | Badwater Basin |
| - location | Death Valley |
| - elevation | −279 ft (−85.0 m) |
| - coordinates | 36°14′23″N 116°50′5″W / 36.23972°N 116.83472°W |
| Area | 209,162 sq mi (541,727 km2) GIS files used for both the acreage calculations and the overlay of the above map. |
| - persistent water (average area) |
4,079 sq mi (10,565 km2) |
| Geology | Basin and Range Province |
| GNIS code | 2087988 |
The Great Basin is the largest area of endorheic watersheds in North America. 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 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.
The term "Great Basin" is applied to hydrographic,biological,floristic, physiographic,topographic, and ethnographic geographic areas. The name was originally coined by John C. Frémont, who, based on information gleaned from Joseph R. Walker as well as his own travels, recognized the hydrographic nature of the landform as "having no connection to the ocean". The hydrographic definition is the most commonly used, and is the only one with a definitive border. The other definitions yield not only different geographical boundaries of "Great Basin" regions, but regional borders that vary from source to source.
The Great Basin Desert is defined by plant and animal communities, and, according to the National Park Service, its boundaries approximate the hydrographic Great Basin, but exclude the southern "panhandle".
The Great Basin Floristic Province was defined by Takhtajan to extend well beyond the boundaries of the hydrographically defined Great Basin: it includes the Snake River Plain, the Colorado Plateau, the Uinta Basin, and parts of Arizona north of the Mogollon Rim.
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Wikipedia