The Sierra de la Giganta is a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
of eastern
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...
state, located on the southern
Baja California Peninsula in northwestern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
It is a mountain range of the
Peninsular Ranges
The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, which ...
System, which extends from
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
, through the Baja California Peninsula in
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
and Baja California Sur states.
Geography
The Sierra de la Giganta extends along the southeastern Baja California Peninsula, parallel and close to the coast of the
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...
—Sea of Cortez. The highest point is Cerro de la Giganta at in elevation, located near
Loreto
The range runs from
Loreto in
Loreto Municipality west of Loreto, southwards to
La Paz Municipality northwest of
La Paz
La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...
.
Ecology
The range is predominantly covered in
dry (or xeric) shrubland. The
Baja California Desert
The Baja California Desert ( es, Desierto de Baja California) is a desert ecoregion of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. This ecoregion occupies the western portion of the Baja California peninsula, and occupies most of the Mexican states of B ...
ecoregion covers the Pacific (western) slope of the range, and the
Gulf of California xeric scrub
The Gulf of California xeric scrub ( es, Matorral xerófilo del Golfo de California) is a deserts and xeric shrublands, xeric shrubland ecoregion of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula.
Geography
The Gulf of California xeric scrub covers an area ...
ecoregion covers the gulf (eastern) slope. Stream valleys with year-round water sustain palm oases, with groves of the native palm ''
Washingtonia robusta
''Washingtonia robusta'', known by common name as the Mexican fan palm, Mexican washingtonia, or skyduster is a palm tree native to the Baja California peninsula and a small part of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. Despite its limited native dist ...
'' and other moisture-loving plants.
See also
*
*
References
External links
Flickr photo set: Sierra de la Giganta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sierra De La Giganta
Giganta
Giganta is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman, and an occasional foil of the superhero the Atom. She debuted as a brutish strongwoman in 194 ...
Peninsular Ranges
La Paz Municipality (Baja California Sur)
Loreto Municipality (Baja California Sur)
Important Bird Areas of Mexico