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Rio Grande by Big Bend National Park, Texas
The Rio Grande (called the Río Bravo or, more formally, the Río Bravo del Norte in Mexico) is a river that rises in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, flows through the San Luis Valley, then south into New Mexico through Albuquerque and Las Cruces to El Paso, Texas, on the Mexican border.
The river has, since 1845, marked the boundary between Mexico and the United States from the twin cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad JuárezCiudad Juarez (2000 population 1 142 354) is a city in Chihuahua, Mexico, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, USA. It is the major port of entry and transportation center of north central Mexico and the fifth largest city in Mexico. It is a growing, ChihuahuaThis article is about the state in Mexico; for the city of Chihuahua see: Chihuahua. ESTADO DE CHIHUAHUA Other Mexican States Capital Chihuahua Other major cities Ciudad Juarez Cuauhtemoc list of municipalities Area244,938 km² Ranked 1st Population(2000 c, to the Gulf of MexicoThe Gulf of Mexico is a major body of water bordered and nearly landlocked by North America. The gulf's eastern, north, and northwestern shores lie within the United States of America (specifically, the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana,. As such, it was across this river that Texan slaves fled when seeking their freedom, aided by Mexico's liberal colonization policies and abolitionist stance. (See [1] (PDF).)
The major international border crossings along the river are Ciudad Juárez and El Paso; Laredo, TexasLaredo redirects here. For the city in Cantabria, Spain, see Laredo, Spain. Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north shore of the Rio Grande Rio Bravo , across from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. As of the 2000 census, the city, and Nuevo Laredo , TamaulipasESTADO DE TAMAULIPAS Other Mexican States Capital Ciudad Victoria Other major cities Tampico Area79,384 km² Ranked 7th Population(2000 census)2,747,110 Ranked 13th Governor(1999-2005)Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba ( PRI) Federal Deputies (8)PRI 6PAN 2 Federal; McAllen-Hidalgo, Texas , and ReynosaReynosa is a city in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Reynosa is located at 26. 28°W, across the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) from McAllen, Texas. In 2003 the estimated population of Reynosa was about 447,001 people., Tamaulipas; and Brownsville, TexasBrownsville is a city located in Cameron County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 139,722. It is the county seat of Cameron County 6. Geography Brownsville is located at 25°55'49" North, 97°29'4" West (25., and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Other notable border towns are the Texas/ Coahuila pairings of Del Rio– Ciudad Acuña and Eagle Pass– Piedras Negras.
Use of the water of the Rio Grande is regulated by the Rio Grande Compact , an interstate compact between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas; and a treaty between the United States and Mexico. The Rio Grande is over-appropriated, that is, there are more users for the water than there is water in the river. Since the summer of 2003, much of the river from Albuquerque to the Big Bend National Park has been dry. Ecologists fear that unless rainfall returns to normal levels during the next few years and strict water conservation measures are adopted by communities along the river route, the Rio Grande may soon become extinct.
The Rio Grande rises in high mountains and flows for much of its length at high elevation; El Paso is 1147 m (3762 feet) above sea level. In New Mexico the river flows through the Rio Grande Rift from one sediment filled basin to another, cutting canyons between the basins. Anciently the Rio Grande terminated at the bottom of the Rio Grande Rift in Lake Cabeza de Baca . About a million years ago the stream was "captured" and began to flow eastward. From El Paso eastward the river flows through desert. Only in the sub-tropical lower Rio Grande Valley is there extensive irrigated agriculture. The river ends in a small sandy delta at the Gulf of Mexico and no longer actually flows into the Gulf.