Zapata County, Texas Map

Reading the Zapata County map

The outline on this map is Zapata County's legal boundary as published in the U.S. Census Bureau's TIGER/Line files. At 997 square miles, the county is roughly the size of a square 32 miles on each side — a typical size for a Texas county. Where the border is a ruler-straight line, it was set by survey; where it wiggles, it usually follows a river, creek or old land grant.

The red marker shows Zapata, the county seat, and the highlighted shapes in the schematic view are the bordering counties. Use the layer switcher to change between street, satellite and terrain backgrounds: satellite is best for seeing farmland and development patterns, while terrain shows hills, valleys and river corridors.

What surrounds Zapata County

Moving around the compass, Zapata County borders Jim Hogg to the east; Starr to the southeast; Webb to the north. It also lies on the Texas state line, bordering Mexico (along the Rio Grande).

For travel planning, the nearest large cities are Laredo (~41 mi), McAllen (~80 mi), Corpus Christi (~122 mi). Distances are straight-line from the county's center; driving distances are usually 15–30% longer depending on the road network.

Landscape of the South Texas

South Texas covers the brush country, the Rio Grande Valley and the ranchlands south of San Antonio. Its culture is strongly shaped by its Tejano heritage and its ties to Mexico, and its economy blends citrus and vegetable farming, ranching, trade and energy.

How to use or print this map

To keep a copy, use the Download PDF button below the map: it saves a letter-size PDF of Zapata County built from U.S. Census Bureau 2023 boundary files, showing neighboring counties and incorporated places. The Official TxDOT road map button downloads the Texas Department of Transportation county road mapbook. The Print map button opens a print-ready layout for paper printing. For a statewide view showing all 254 counties with their seats, use our free Texas map with counties and cities PDF.

Teachers often pair this map with the county's neighbors to practice cardinal directions, while genealogists use it to identify which neighboring courthouses may hold older records — many Texas counties were carved out of larger ones, and Zapata County itself was formed from Starr County and Webb County.