July 28, 2000 during Terra orbit 3248. On the left is a "true color"
(blue, green, red) image. Vegetation, which covers much of
the land area, appears green because chlorophyll molecules
absorb more blue and red light than green light. An independent
method of detecting vegetation is to use the ratio of brightness
in the near-infrared, where vegetation is typically bright as a
result of reflection from the plants' cell walls, to the brightness
in the red. In the middle "false color" image, this ratio has been
substituted for the green band data, resulting in a representation
that accentuates the land's vegetation.
Yugoslavia is comprised of the Republics of Serbia and Montenegro.
Serbia is over six times larger than Montenegro, and together
they cover an area roughly comparable to the state of Kentucky.
The northern part of Serbia contains fertile plains and a
temperate continental climate, with gradual transitions between
the seasons. Montenegro is more mountainous, and can experience
heavy snowfall during the cold winters. About 10 kilometers from the
Adriatic coast is Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the Balkans.
Two-thirds of this lake belongs to Montenegro and one-third to Albania.
The image on the right is a higher resolution view of the region
around the Yugoslavian capital city of Belgrade, highlighting
some of the major rivers in the area. The international roads
and railways passing through Yugoslavia's river valleys constitute
the shortest link between Western and Central Europe on the
one side, and the Middle East, Asia, and Africa on the other.
Hence the geopolitical importance of this country's territory.
The geopolitical changes throughout its history have put
Yugoslavia in the worldwide spotlight, culminating most recently
in a popular uprising and a newly elected government.
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Science Team
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