Fact Check: "The United States shares a 2,000-mile border with Mexico."
What We Know
The claim that the United States shares a 2,000-mile border with Mexico is inaccurate. The actual length of the U.S.-Mexico border is approximately 1,954 miles (or 3,145 kilometers) (source-1, source-4). This border stretches from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east and includes a combination of land and river boundaries, with about 1,255 miles (or 2,020 kilometers) of the border following the Rio Grande (source-5).
Analysis
The assertion that the border is 2,000 miles likely stems from a rounding error or misinterpretation of the actual measurements. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency confirms that the length of the Southwest border with Mexico is approximately 1,954 miles (source-2).
Additionally, the U.S. Census Bureau provides similar figures, stating that the U.S.-Mexico border is 1,954 miles long (source-3). The Wikipedia entry on the Mexico-United States border corroborates this information, emphasizing that the border is the tenth-longest between two countries in the world and detailing its geographical features (source-4).
The sources cited are reliable, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Census Bureau being official government entities. Wikipedia, while generally reliable, should be cross-referenced with primary sources for accuracy.
Conclusion
The claim that the United States shares a 2,000-mile border with Mexico is False. The correct length of the border is approximately 1,954 miles, which is significantly shorter than the claim suggests. This discrepancy highlights the importance of verifying geographical data with credible sources.
