Dry river bed of the Rio Grande, at Big Bend National Park, with the United States on the left and Mexico on right.
Photo Credit: SCEhardt, available in the public domain
Big Bend National Park is a national park located in Texas, USA. It is located on the international boundary of Mexico and the United States, along 80 miles of the 1000 miles that the Rio Grande / Río Bravo separates the two countries. Big Bend national Park is the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States. The park covers 1252 sq miles (3242 sq km). Big Bend National Park was established in 12 June, 1944.
At Big Bend National Park, scientists can study an abundance of cretaceous and tertiary fossil organisms in a variety of forms. Archeologists have discovered artifacts at Big Bend estimated to be 9,000 years old. There are also historic structures that give an idea of life along the international border at the turn of the 20th century.
As Big Bend lies on an international boundary, the park faces unusual challenger in administration and in the enforcement of park rules, regulations and policies. In accordance with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the US National Park Service has jurisdiction only to the center of the deepest river channel as the river flowed in 1848. The rest of the land south of that channel is Mexican territory.
Mesa at Big Bend National Park
Photo Credit: SCEhardt, and available in the public domain
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