WHAT COUNTRIES AND CITIES HAVE THE RIO GRANDE AS THEIR LIMIT? - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The Rio Grande serves as a natural border between several countries (Mexico and the United States), as well as several of their respective cities such as Ciudad Juárez or El Paso. It is a natural stream of North America, located between the limits of Mexico and the United States. It works as a natural border for a part of these two countries, being the fifth longest river in America and the 20th longest in the world.

Its channel begins in the San Juan mountains in Colorado, crossing through the San Luis Valley and descends towards the limits with Mexico, serving as a natural border for the southern perimeter of Texas with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León and Coahuila.

The Rio Grande, or Rio Grande –as it is known in the US– ends its path ending in the Gulf of Mexico, traveling a total of 3,060 kilometers. Its flow (the amount of water it moves) is usually irregular since it depends on various factors such as the season of the year.

The Rio Grande has been, over the years, a symbol of the connection that exists between Mexico and the United States, but in recent decades it has become a source of geographical, political, and especially migration disputes.

The geographical and political limits of the Rio Grande

Rio Grande map

Beginning in the American state of Colorado, the Rio Grande crosses a wide variety of cities and towns that lie on the borders of Mexico and the United States. There is a record of its description from the seventeenth century by Spanish explorers on the continent.

Since then, the river banks had been indigenous settlements, but when Mexico lost much of its territory in 1848, the Rio Grande delimited the new border between Texas and the northern Mexican states: Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, and Coahuila.

Currently, the river is a vital part of the borders of both countries. Along its channel are natural reserves and parks, irrigation sites, agricultural areas, border bridges and, due to the migratory demand from Mexico and Central America, it is also a protected area patrolled by immigration agents from the United States.

Climate and biodiversity variations

Starting its course in the high mountainous areas of Colorado and descending into the drier areas of the Mexican northeast, the river sees a wide variety of climates along its course.

In Colorado, hike through forests of spruce, fir, and aspen; when arriving at the canyons of New Mexico, it crosses its plateaus and when descending to the more temperate states, the transition is made to the steppe and the desert climate, with the characteristic vegetation of the arid zones.

Rio Bravo in the upper area

The river flow grows exponentially between April and October, in the higher areas the amount of water increases when the mountains thaw at the end of spring.

In the lower areas, the flow increases thanks to the storms that occur between June and September. It is estimated that the river moves around 85 cubic meters of water per second.

The Rio Grande represents an important part of the biodiversity of North America. On its shores, between both borders, you can find a nature reserve, two protected areas for their wild river quality and panoramic views, as well as a couple of national monuments.

It is considered an important corridor that houses flora and fauna typical of arid and wooded areas, as well as being a sanctuary for hundreds of species of birds that fly to its shores every season.

Economic activities

Human activities such as irrigation and the use of the Rio Grande for agriculture have been developed since prehistoric times by communities such as the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico.

Currently, its channel serves for the irrigation of more than 850,000 hectares of crops, the vast majority belonging to Mexican territory.

Among the different crops that it provides, is the planting of potatoes and alfalfa in Colorado; of cotton, grapes and nuts in New Mexico and on the borders of Mexico and Texas, provides for the planting of citrus fruits and different types of vegetables.

In addition to agriculture, the banks of the Rio Grande are a place for the extraction of different natural resources such as oil, natural gas, silver and gold.

Other significant economic activities are ecotourism and leisure, as it has areas for rapids, rafts, fishing and hunting. Its main urban areas are Monterrey, Juárez and Saltillo in Mexico; Albuquerque, El Paso and Brownsville in the US.

The wide territory that both nations share, as well as the economic and cultural activities that it provides, made it necessary to create different treaties and policies, among which the Water Use Treaty signed by Mexico and the United States stands out, thanks to which some of these economic activities.

Immigration dispute

Despite being a symbol of the geographical and cultural union of two nations, the Rio Grande is still a dividing line.

The economic and social inequalities between the two nations have generated a strong immigration phenomenon in the last 40 years, which makes the Rio Grande one of the most crossed areas along the border.

In addition to the environmental guard, the Rio Grande is also a protected area by immigration authorities who try to stop the phenomenon of the illegal entry of Mexican and Central American citizens to the United States.

Environmental problems

The human footprint, as well as climate change and the severe drought suffered by the United States in its southern part, have made the once wealthy Rio Grande a smaller and smaller stream.

In 2003, for the first time on record, the lack of water did not allow it to flow into the Gulf, and today it ranks among the 10 rivers in the world under greatest danger.

The great rate of population growth, as well as excessive human activity and invasion of land have turned the great river of the north into a shadow of what it once was.

Its protection and care is crucial, since it is a river that provides for two nations, it is a cultural symbol, it has served multiple indigenous peoples for years and 6 million people depend on its channel.

References

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2. American Rivers (sf) Rio Grande River. American Rivers. Recovered from americanrivers.org.
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4. RGISC (sf) About the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande International Study Center. Recovered from rgisc.org.
5. Schmidt, R., Brand, D. (2006) Rio Grande. Encyclopædia Britannica. Recovered from britannica.com.
6. Tyler, J. (2017) US-Mexico Border: Rio Grande Crossing is Getting Smaller Everyday (2017-03-14). Independent. Recovered from independent.co.uk.
7. Wines, M. (2015) Mighty Rio Grande Now A Trickle Under Siege (2015-04-12). The New York Times. Recovered from nytimes.com.