Southern Africa

On July 18, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this stunning view of South Africa. The arid, rugged Great Karoo runs along the southern coast where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. From an indigenous word meaning “dry thirst land,” the Great Karoo’s mountains and plains are home to a rich variety of plants and animals, including some of South Africa’s most endangered species. The tan folds of the Nuweveld Mountain Range separate the Great Karoo in the south from the Northern Karoo in the north.

The brown and orange landscape that surrounds South Africa’s northwestern borders is the Kalahari Desert, a vast sand basin marked by dunes and dry savannah vegetation. The southern edge of the desert is defined by the Orange River, which also forms South Africa’s northwestern border with Namibia. In center and east South Africa, the ragged northern border is formed by the Molopo/Limpopo River.

Within South Africa is the enclave, Lesotho. This tiny mountainous country covers an area of 30,355 square kilometers, slightly smaller than the state of Maryland. Northeast of Lesotho is the smaller country, Swaziland, with an area of 17,363 square kilometers. Along the top of the image, from left to right, are Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published July 19, 2004
Data acquired July 18, 2004

Source:

Aqua > MODIS