The American Southwest Defined

As most of the material contained in this web site deals with the various species of reptiles, turtles, crocodilians, and amphibians native to the Southwestern United States (or as it is frequently called the American Southwest), we should define what constitutes the American Southwest.

Definitions of this region of the United States vary greatly from source to source depending on whom you ask. The only thing where you can expect to get unanimous agreement is that the states of Arizona and New Mexico make up at least part of this region. Beyond those two states, the boundaries of the American Southwest become somewhat hazy. Most people from the Eastern United States consider Texas and Oklahoma to be a part of the American Southwest, while many of those living in California and Arizona consider Texas to be part of the Deep South. Some scholars consider California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, and Oklahoma all to be Southwestern states.

For the purposes of SWCHR, we define the American Southwest as being only the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. While we do recognize that certain parts of California, Nevada, Texas, and Utah do not contain the geologic and other natural features that are generally associated with the American Southwest, we have opted to include those states in their entirety for the sake of having a more easily defined border for the region.