Big Bend

Desert region in southwestern Texas, 400 km/250 mi southeast of El Paso, on a bend in the Rio Grande. This remote area, with almost no habitation, is the site of Big Bend National Park, known especially for its deep canyons.

Most of the park is Chihuahuan desert; there are also the Sierra del Carmen and Chisos mountains. The Chisos are wooded, and the desert is arid but rich in plants and wildlife. Recreational activities have been compromised in recent years by drug smugglers using the wilderness as an entry into the USA.

Big Bend

Region in east-central Washington, within the Columbia River where the river swings west around the Columbia Plateau. An area of some 31,000 sq km/12,000 sq mi, rugged, dry, and largely treeless, it is the site of the Grand Coulee Dam and Moses Lake.

Big Bend

Small town in southeastern Wisconsin, 32 km/20 mi southwest of Milwaukee, of which it is an outer suburb; population (1990) 1,300. It is in a lake-filled agricultural area.