Mojave Desert

Arid region in southern California, USA, part of the Great Basin; average height above sea-level 600 m/2,000 ft; area 38,500 sq km/15,000 sq mi. It lies to the northeast of Los Angeles, and to the southeast of the Sierra Nevada.

The US military has appropriated thousands of square kilometres for bombing ranges and test stations, including Edwards Air Force Base in the Antelope Valley, a landing place for space shuttles. The Mojave National Preserve protects the central part of the desert.

The town of Mojave, population (2000 est) 3,800, is situated 48 km/30 mi north of Lancaster, at a major railway junction for goods traffic. Formerly a trading post for borax, mined in Death Valley at the northern edge of the desert, it is now a service and accommodation centre for travellers.