Animals that no longer live in the
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The Rio Grande flows through New Mexico
The Rio Grande River facts
Rio Grande is known as Río Bravo (or, more formally, the Río Bravo del Norte) in Mexico, the river rises
in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and flows through the San Luis Valley,
then south into New Mexico through Albuquerque and Las Cruces to El Paso,
Texas.
The river has, since 1845, marked the boundary between Mexico and the United States from the twin cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to the Gulf of Mexico. As such, it was across this river that Texan slaves fled when seeking their freedom.
The major international border crossings along the river are:
Ciudad Juárez and El Paso; Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas;
McAllen-Hidalgo, Texas, and Reynosa, Tamaulipas; and Brownsville, Texas, and
Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Other notable border towns are the Texas/Coahuila
pairings of Del Rio–Ciudad Acuña and Eagle Pass–Piedras Negras.
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 cutting canyons between the basins and creating a bosque ecosystem in its floodplain. From El Paso eastward the river flows through a desert. Only in lower Rio Grande Valley is there a lot of agriculture. The river ends in a small sandy delta at the
Gulf of Mexico. During periods of extended dry weather, the river will actually
not flow into the gulf.
Millions of years ago, the Rio Grande ended at the bottom of the Rio Grande Rift in Lake Cabeza de Vaca. But about 1 million years ago the stream began to flow east.
in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and flows through the San Luis Valley,
then south into New Mexico through Albuquerque and Las Cruces to El Paso,
Texas.
The river has, since 1845, marked the boundary between Mexico and the United States from the twin cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to the Gulf of Mexico. As such, it was across this river that Texan slaves fled when seeking their freedom.
The major international border crossings along the river are:
Ciudad Juárez and El Paso; Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas;
McAllen-Hidalgo, Texas, and Reynosa, Tamaulipas; and Brownsville, Texas, and
Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Other notable border towns are the Texas/Coahuila
pairings of Del Rio–Ciudad Acuña and Eagle Pass–Piedras Negras.
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 cutting canyons between the basins and creating a bosque ecosystem in its floodplain. From El Paso eastward the river flows through a desert. Only in lower Rio Grande Valley is there a lot of agriculture. The river ends in a small sandy delta at the
Gulf of Mexico. During periods of extended dry weather, the river will actually
not flow into the gulf.
Millions of years ago, the Rio Grande ended at the bottom of the Rio Grande Rift in Lake Cabeza de Vaca. But about 1 million years ago the stream began to flow east.
Rio Grand Compact
Use of the water of the Rio Grande is regulated by the Rio
Grande Compact, an interstate pact 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, the Rio
Grande may soon become extinct in time. WE MUST SAVE OUR RIVER!
Grande Compact, an interstate pact 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, the Rio
Grande may soon become extinct in time. WE MUST SAVE OUR RIVER!