Location, Geography, & Topography
Zapata is located at the intersection of State Highway 16 & U.S. Highway 83. The nearest Interstate Highway (IH-35) is located 50 miles North on U.S. 83, at the Southern Terminus of IH-35, in Laredo . Just across the Rio Grande is the state of Tamaulipas , Mexico .

The elevations within Zapata County range from 200 to 700 feet above sea level. Zapata County has light-colored loamy soils over reddish or mottled clay subsoil; limestone lies in places within forty inches of the surface. The flora includes thorny shrubs, grasses, mesquite, and cacti. Less than 1 percent of the county is considered prime farmland. Natural resources include caliche, lignite coal, sand, gravel, oil, and gas. Natural gas production was 317,586,100 thousand cubic feet, which made Zapata County the top Natural Gas producing county in the state of Texas for the year 2000.

Population
Zapata County is estimated to be the 11 th fastest growing county (+15.8%) in the state of Texas since the year 2000 (based on % of population change) and 85.3 % of the population is Hispanic.

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