The Rio Grande is a major river located in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Known as the Río Bravo in Mexico and Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo, it serves as a significant geographical feature of the region. The river originates in south-central Colorado and flows southward to its terminus at the Gulf of Mexico.
The Rio Grande is the fourth longest river in both the United States and North America by main stem, spanning a total length of 1,896 miles (3,051 km). Its drainage basin covers an area of 182,200 square miles (472,000 km2), though the inclusion of adjacent endorheic basins increases the total drainage-basin area to 336,000 square miles (870,000 km2).