Maldives, Indian Ocean - related image preview

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Maldives, Indian Ocean

Luminous, seemingly insubstantial from this perspective, the coral atoll islands that make up the Maldives are scattered in a line from the southwestern tip of India down to the equator. There are 1200 individual islands, 200 of which are inhabited. There is very little relief, and many islands are no higher than 2 meters (6.6 feet) above sea level. Because of this low-lying terrain, even a modest sea-level rise anticipated in a global warming scenario could have significant consequences for the Maldives. This image was acquired by MODIS on March 31, 2002.


Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published April 1, 2002
Data acquired March 31, 2002

Source:
Terra > MODIS
Collection:
Visible Earth