9781422286197

11

Southwest: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

The Rocky Mountains extend into central New Mexico. Wheeler Mountain, the state’s highest peak, is located near Taos in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. New Mexico’s 100 highest peaks extend more than two miles above sea level. The Rio Grande winds its way through the Rocky Mountain region. The Basin and Range Region extends south of the Rocky Mountains. Rugged mountain ranges characterize the region. These include the Guadalupe, Mogollon, Organ,

scape with canyons, cliffs and mesas. This region covers about one-fourth of the state. It includes Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Acoma Sky City, built on a mesa. A 40-mile (64 km) strip of volcanoes and lava plains, including El Malpais National Monument, lies in this region. The Continental Divide extends through the Colorado Plateau and into the Basin and Range Region. The plateau includes Four Corners, where Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico come together.

Shiprock is a stone formation that rises 1,580 feet (482 m) above the high plains near the Four Corners area where New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah meet. It is located on the territory of the Navajo nation.