Big Bend National Park is a Land of Borders. Situated on the Boundary of Mexico Along the Rio Grande, it is a Place where Countries and Cultures Meet. It is Also a Place that Merges Natural Environments, from Desert to Mountains. It is a Place where South Meets North and East Meets West, Creating a Great Diversity of Plants and Animals. The Park Covers over 801,000 of West Texas in the Place Where the Rio Grande Makes a Sharp Turn, the "Big Bend." Big Bend National Park was Authorized June 20, 1935, Established June 12, 1944, and was Designated a United States Biosphere Reserve in 1976.