Why is the Great Basin the largest desert in the United States?

💡 The Answer

• The Great Basin Desert covers about 190,000 square miles, mostly in Nevada and Utah.
• It is a cold desert due to its high elevation and rain shadow from the Sierra Nevada.
• The region receives less than 10 inches of precipitation annually.
• It is defined by its basin and range topography with isolated mountain peaks.
• Unlike hot deserts, it experiences freezing winters and unique sagebrush steppe.