Rio Grande Map
The Rio Grande is a 3,050 km (1,900 mi) river through 2 countries. This map shows its course to the Gulf of Mexico on shaded relief, with its river network, lakes, borders and major cities.
How to read this map
The Rio Grande is about 3,050 km (1,900 mi) long and drains a basin of about 472,000 km² (182,000 sq mi). Its average discharge is about 85 m³/s (3,000 cu ft/s). It flows into the Gulf of Mexico. It flows through or along Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Tributaries include Pecos River, Rio Conchos, Alamito Creek, Alamosa River, Chacon Creek, Conejos River, Culebra Creek and Rio Salado.
The highlighted blue line is the course of the Rio Grande as mapped by Natural Earth. Towns and cities on the map include Dallas, Houston, Monterrey, Denver, San Antonio, Kansas City, Ciudad Juárez and Austin. Labeled states and countries: Mexico, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Greens show lower elevations; tan and brown show higher land, with pale tones toward the highest terrain. Shadows emphasize the slopes, and vertical relief is exaggerated so landforms are easier to read. Dashed lines show country borders, and fine dashed lines show state or province borders.
The relief uses Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED2010 and ETOPO1 elevation data). Rivers, lakes, borders and the course of the Rio Grande come from Natural Earth, and the figures on this page from Wikidata. Natural Earth draws features at a small scale, so the line is a guide to where the Rio Grande is, not a surveyed boundary.
Blank physical map
The blank version keeps the mapped features and removes the place labels. Download it for a geography worksheet or practice identifying the features.
Rio Grande facts
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 3,050 km (1,900 mi) |
| Drainage basin | 472,000 km² (182,000 sq mi) |
| Average discharge | 85 m³/s (3,000 cu ft/s) |
| Mouth | the Gulf of Mexico |
| Countries | the United States and Mexico |
| US states | Colorado, New Mexico and Texas |
| Tributaries | Pecos River, Rio Conchos, Alamito Creek, Alamosa River, Chacon Creek, Conejos River, Culebra Creek, Rio Salado, Jemez River and Red River |
Data sources and license
- Natural Earth (public-domain geography): Public domain.
- Terrain Tiles / Mapzen (SRTM, GMTED2010, ETOPO1): Open elevation data; source attribution retained.
- Wikidata (lengths, areas, countries and other facts): CC0 1.0.
Map design and rendered images: Atlas of Maps, CC BY 4.0. Source databases retain their own licenses; the map license does not replace them.
Maps of the countries: United States, Mexico. Compare with the world rivers map.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Rio Grande?
The Rio Grande is about 3,050 km (1,900 mi) long, with a drainage basin of about 472,000 km² (182,000 sq mi).
Where does the Rio Grande start and end?
The Rio Grande flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
Which states does the Rio Grande flow through?
The Rio Grande flows through or along Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.
Can I download a blank map of the Rio Grande?
Yes. The blank version keeps the relief, rivers and borders and the highlighted river but removes the place names. Both versions are free to download as PNG and as an A4 PDF.
Use this map
You can download, print and share this map for free, in class, in school projects, in presentations and on websites, as long as you credit the source: Rio Grande Map · Atlas of Maps (atlasofmaps.com), license CC BY 4.0.
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