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Sierra Madre Occidental

The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico. The range extends from just south of the Sonora•Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins with the Sierra Madre del Sur and the Eje Volcánico Transversal (Transverse Volcanic Axis) of central Mexico. These mountains are generally considered to be part of the much larger American cordillera. Sierra Madre means "Mother Range".

The highest point is probably Cerro Mohinora, located at 25°57′N 107°03′W / 25.95°N 107.05°W. Different sources cite its altitude as either 3250 m or 3300 m. However, other mountains at 26°03′N 106°25′W / 26.05°N 106.417°W and 23°12′N 104°57′W / 23.2°N 104.95°W are of very similar altitude and may be higher.

The range is home to the Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests, noted for their high biodiversity and large number of endemic species.

The mountains are home to several indigenous nations speaking Uto-Aztecan languages, including the Tarahumara in the central portion of the range, and the Huichol in the southern part of the range.

See also

References

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Categories: Sierra Madre Occidental | Mountain ranges of Mexico | Mountain ranges of Arizona | Mountain ranges of the Sonoran Desert | Natural history of Sonora | Natural history of Chihuahua | Natural history of Durango | Natural history of Zacatecas | Physiographic provinces | Regions of Northern Mexico | Landforms of Cochise County, Arizona | Landforms of Pima County, Arizona | Landforms of Santa Cruz County, Arizona | Hidalgo County, New Mexico | Mexico stubs

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