In summer, it stands out as the only green patch in its high-desert surroundings.
A quarter of that is concentrated in its largest city, Albuquerque – a small metropolis dwarfed by its vast desert surroundings.
Tarim's obvious differences from the west – the niqab, the authority of the scholars, the harsh desert surroundings – are, to them, precious marks of its authenticity.
But the surge pouring into Jordan prompted the authorities there to decree that all new arrivals be put into a camp built in harsh desert surroundings near its border with Syria.
Within days, I booked a plane ticket, eager to hug my people and to show my husband, Neil, whom I'd met in Chicago, the desert surroundings I suddenly missed desperately.
Up to 185 people were killed in Baga last year, making the village an early portent of Boko Haram's new tactics of striking remote settlements before melting into the vast semi-desert surroundings.
But Mr. Zedillo and Mitsubishi finally acknowledged that the enormous industrial plant could alter and befoul the pristine ecosystem of the lagoon and its desert surroundings in ways that no amount of human science could foretell or repair.
It is easy to identify different categories of urban parks - Tabriz is located in overall semi-desert surroundings without recreational attractiveness for urban dwellers who are therefore limited to the ecosystem services of the urban parks.
Anderson puts it on her list too, for its spirituality, artistry and "architecture reflective of the desert surroundings". Sedona is home to numerous arts festivals, galleries and spas and a host of outdoor recreation opportunities.
