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The Big Bend is part of the

Trans-Pecos The Trans-Pecos, as originally defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, is the portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with Far West Texas, a subdivision of West Texas. The Trans-Pe ...

region in southwestern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

along the border with

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, north of the prominent bend in the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio ...

for which the region is named. Here the

passes between the Chisos Mountains in Texas and the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...

in Mexico as it changes from running east-southeast to north-northeast. The region covers three counties: Presidio County to the west,

Brewster County Brewster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in West Texas and its county seat (and only city) is Alpine. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region, and borders Mexico. Brewster County is t ...

to the east, and Jeff Davis County to the north. The region is rugged, sparsely populated Chihuahua Desert, including the Chisos Mountains, Chinati Mountains, and the Davis Mountains. The region has well over of public lands, including

Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park is an American national park located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after ...

(801,163 acres) and Big Bend Ranch State Park (300,000 acres), Black Gap Wildlife Management Area (103,000 acres),Texas Parks and Wildlife
Black Gap Wildlife Management Area
(accessed Oct 30, 2022) Chinati Mountains State Natural Area (39,000 acres)Texas Parks and Wildlife,
hinati Mountains State Natural Area
(accessed Oct 30, 2022) along the north side of the Rio Grande. It is also the home of the

McDonald Observatory McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, with additional fac ...

. In Mexico, adjacent areas of protected lands on the south side of the Rio Grande include the

Cañón de Santa Elena Flora and Fauna Protection Area The Cañón de Santa Elena Flora and Fauna Protection Area (Spanish: ''Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Cañón de Santa Elena'') is a protected area for plants and wildlife in the Mexican municipalities of Manuel Benavides and Ojinaga, in th ...

(ca. 511,508 acres), Ocampo Flora and Fauna Protection Area (ca. 850,630 acres), and the Maderas del Carmen Flora and Fauna Protection Area (ca. 514,920 acres). The largest towns in the region are Alpine,

Presidio A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th and 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Spanish Philippines in particular, were ce ...

, Marfa, Sanderson,

Terlingua Terlingua ( ) is a mining district and census-designated place (CDP) in southwestern Brewster County, Texas, United States. It is located near the Rio Grande and the villages of Lajitas and Study Butte, Texas, as well as the Mexican state o ...

, and

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair di ...

. The counties are Presidio County, Jeff Davis County,

, Pecos County, and Terrell County.

References

External links

''The Big Bend of Texas.''
1920, hosted by th
Portal to Texas History

''West Texas Weekly''
a local weekly newspaper.
Visit Big Bend
an extensive website on the Big Bend region and attractions. Regions of Texas Big Bend National Park {{Texas-geo-stub

See also

References

Further reading

External links