Which U.S. states border Mexico?

Four U.S. states share a land border with Mexico. Listed from west to east, they are California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Together their boundary with Mexico runs for roughly 1,950 miles, stretching all the way from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east.

The current border was not always there. Much of what is now the American Southwest once belonged to Mexico. Following a war between the two countries in the nineteenth century, and a later land purchase, these territories passed to the United States. That is why the four border states, along with neighboring areas, share so much history and culture with Mexico.

The border itself takes different forms along its length. For a long stretch in Texas, the Rio Grande, a major river, serves as the natural dividing line. Further west, through New Mexico, Arizona, and California, the border runs largely through desert country, marked by fences and crossing points rather than a river. Some of the busiest border crossings in the world are found where large twin cities sit on either side of the line.

This article was written using information from Wikipedia.