Big Bend (Texas) facts for kids
The Big Bend is a special region in southwestern Texas, United States. It sits right along the border with Mexico. The area gets its name from a huge bend in the Rio Grande river. Here, the Rio Grande flows between the Chisos Mountains in Texas and the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in Mexico. It changes direction from flowing southeast to flowing northeast.
This region is mostly a wild and rugged place called the Chihuahuan Desert. It has many mountain ranges, like the Chisos Mountains, Chinati Mountains, and the Davis Mountains. The Big Bend is home to over a million acres of public lands. This includes Big Bend National Park (which is huge!) and Big Bend Ranch State Park. It also has the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area and the Chinati Mountains State Natural Area. You can also find the famous McDonald Observatory here, where scientists study the stars. On the Mexican side of the border, there are also large protected areas, like the Cañón de Santa Elena and Maderas del Carmen. These areas help protect the unique plants and animals of the desert.
The biggest towns in the Big Bend region are Alpine, Presidio, Marfa, Sanderson, Terlingua, and Marathon. These towns are spread across several counties, including Presidio County, Jeff Davis County, and Brewster County.
