This image, generated using 16 orbits of MISR data collected between
August 16 and August 30, 2000, takes us to the cradle of many
civilizations. The data are from the 60-degree aftward-viewing
camera. Because the individual orbit swaths are only 400 kilometers
wide, they were "mosaicked" together to form this composite picture,
which covers about 2700 kilometers from west to east and 1750
kilometers from north to south. A few discontinuities are present in
the mosaic, particularly near clouds, due to changes in the scene
which occurred between dates when the individual orbit data were
acquired.
At the northern tip of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of
Aqaba frame the sandy deserts and spectacular mountains of the Sinai
Peninsula. The highest peaks are Gebel Katherina (Mountain of St.
Catherine, 2637 meters) and Gebel Musa (Mountain of Moses, also
known as Mount Sinai, 2285 meters). To the northeast, Israel and
Jordan flank the Dead Sea, one of the saltiest inland water
bodies in the world. At its northern edge is Qumran, where the ancient
Scrolls were discovered; the city of Jerusalem lies about 30 kilometers
to the west.
Several large rivers are prominent. Flowing southeastward through Iraq
are the Tigris and Euphrates. The dark area between the two rivers,
northwest of the Persian Gulf, is a very fertile region where fishing
and farming are prevalent. Wending its way through eastern Egypt
is the Nile. In the south is Lake Nasser and the Aswan Dam; continuing
northward the Nile passes the Temple of Luxor as it sharply loops to
the east. It then turns west and northward, eventually passing the
capital city of Cairo, and finally spreading into a prominent delta as
it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The bright dot just west of the
apex of the delta marks the location of the great Pyramids and Sphinx
complexes on the Giza Plateau. On the coast, west of the delta, is the
ancient city of Alexandria, Egypt's main seaport.
"MISR", as it turns out, is the transliteration of the Arabic name
for Egypt.
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Science Team
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