Malpai Borderlands is a region, or areal feature, along the U.S.-Mexico border at the Arizona and New Mexico state line. The extreme southeast corner of Arizona and the southwest corner of New Mexico describe the general vicinity. It includes areas inside the U.S. states of Arizona and New Mexico as well as the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora. Like Silicon Valley or Hollywood, the borders of this area differ depending upon whom you ask to describe them. At this writing, some maps show only the United States portion as being inside the region.
The lowest elevations in this area are about 3,700 feet in the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge area. Highest elevation is roughly 8,500 feet above mean sea level (AMSL). Mountain ranges generally run north-south. Terrain is described as including desert shrub, Tobosa grassland, Ponderosa Pine forest, and Douglas Fir. Some cattle ranching takes place in the region. The geomorphic provinces include Madrean and Chihuahuan deserts.
The name "Malpai", relates to a type of "desert pavement", formed by wind (eolian) processes, and is called Malapai.
Read more about Malpai Borderlands: Variant Names, Unofficial Extents of The Region, Area Under Scientific Study