The ecoregion encompasses the desert basins and low mountains bordered by the Lop Desert on the west, the Tibetan Plateau and Qilian Mountains to the south, the Gobi extension of the Altai Mountains on the north, and the Helan Mountains to the southeast. This part of the Gobi desert is in the rain shadow of the Tibetan Plateau, but parts of it still receives enough precipitation to support areas of semi-arid-desert plant communities.