PIX4659018: Betsiboka River Delta - Madagascar - - Betsiboka estuary, Madagascar, seen from space - Betsiboka River Delta seen from space shuttle Atlantis in July 2001. During the 20th Century Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island, experienced a tremendous reversal in the quantity of vegetative cover throughout the entire island. From an estimated 80 to 90 percent vegetation cover in 1900 to less than an estimated 10 percent by the year 2000, the rate of deforestation has been dramatic. This image, along with many other space - acquired images, documents the massive annual soil losses that have occurred during the last 30 years. Note the orange - brown sediment that is almost always being transported by the Betsiboka River and being deposited in the delta region. The sequence of images astronauts have taken over time, shows the sediment accumulating and forming islands in the estuary mouth / Bridgeman Images
PIX4659236: Le Piton de la Fournaise, Ile de la Reunion - Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion island - Le Piton de la Fournaise seen by satellite EO - 1 on 16 January 2009. This shield volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Considered one of the world's most active volcanoes, Piton de la Fournaise occupies the east - southeastern end of Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. It is a shield volcano with a low, broad shape that resemble an ancient warrior shield. The volcano sports an 8 - kilometer - (5 - mile -) wide crater that slopes eastward to the coast. Within that crater sits a lava shield, Dolomieu, and most of Piton de la Fournaise's historic eruptions have occurred from the summit or flanks of Dolomieu. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on Nasa's Earth Observing - 1 satellite captured this image of Piton de la Fournaise on January 16, 2009. Dolomieu is the circular feature at the center of the large crater. Lava flows from earlier eruptions have left their marks around Dolomieu, in the form of dark rivulets of rock that head mostly eastward towards the shore. On the west side of Dolomieu, few dark rivers of rock appear, as most lava flows have curved towards the north or south. Little vegetation thrives near Dolomieu, but farther away from the lava shield, vegetation appears bright green / Bridgeman Images
PIX4659268: Irrigation on the Orange River - Irrigation along the Orange River. Orange marks the border between South Africa and Namibia. Image obtained by satellite EO-1 on 15 February 2010. The Orange River serves as part of the border between Namibia and the Republic of South Africa. Along the banks of this river, roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) inland from where the river empties into the Atlantic Ocean, irrigation projects take advantage of water from the river and soils from the floodplains to grow produce, turning parts of a normally earth - toned landscape emerald green. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on Nasa's Earth Observing - 1 (EO - 1) satellite captured this true - color image on February 15, 2010. A network of bright rectangles of varying shades of green contrasts with surroundings of gray, beige, tan, and rust / Bridgeman Images
PIX4659525: Antarctica as seen by satellite: Mosaic of images obtained on 27 January 2009 by the MODIS instrument (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) embarks on the Aqua satellite. Mosaic image acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite on January 27, 2009. / Bridgeman Images
PIX4659912: Pekin seen from the Space Station in 2005 - Beijing from the International Space Station in 2005 - Pekin seen in February 2005 from the International Space Station. The large city Beijing (Peking), China is featured in this image photographed by Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao on the International Space Station / Bridgeman Images
PIX4660135: Dubai Night View from Space - City of Dubai at night - The coasts of the Emirates of Dubai with the Palm Island of Jumeirah, seen at night from the International Space Station (ISS) on September 11, 2009. This nighttime astronaut photograph of the city of Dubai was taken at approximately 2 a.m. local time on September 11, 2009. Orange sodium vapor lights trace the major highways and street grid in and around the metropolitan area, while grey - white mercury vapor lamps fill in the commercial and residential areas. The lighted islands and peninsula of Palm Jumeirah are clearly visible along the coastline. A spiral pattern of lights on the southeastern fringe of the urban area is a camel racetrack. Nighttime images like these are useful to climate modelers, urban planners, and geographers as they allow for simple definition of urban (densely lit) and rural (sparely lit) areas / Bridgeman Images
PIX4660548: Lake Orumieh in Iran seen from space - Lake Urmia in Iran seen from space - Lake Orumieh is the largest lake in Iran. This dirty lake is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Image obtained from the International Space Station (ISS) on 23 August 2002. Lake Urmia is an isolated lake in Azerbaijan Province in northwest Iran. The total area of the lake is 1815 square miles (4700 square kilometers), and the north - south length is about 90 miles (145 kilometers). The maximum depth of the shallow, saline lake is approximately 50 feet (15 meters). Climatically, the lake region is located in a semiarid, almost desert environment, with general precipitation averaging 12 inches (30 centimeters) per year. Topographically, the entire region is either plateau or mountain. The surface of the lake is approximately 4100 feet (1250 meters) above sea level with several of the individual volcanic peaks reaching more than 7000 feet (2134 meters) above sea level. The massive, rugged mountain range west of the lake has ridges that exceed 11,000 feet (3353 meters) above sea level. The highly reflective area along the eastern shore of the lake appears to be either the development of salt deposits along the shoreline or the receding water level in the lake, which exposes more shoreline. Image taken from the international space station (ISS) on August 23 2002 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4660711: The monastery of St. Thaddee in Iran - Saint Thaddeus monastery - Circumpolar (long pose on the stars around the polar star) above the Cathedral of St. Thaddeus (north-west of Iran). Circumpolar (long exposure on stars around pole star) above Saint Thaddeus cathedral, a famous armenian church in north - west of Iran / Bridgeman Images
TEC4660859: Le Cirque d'hiver, 110 rue Amelota Paris 75011. Architect Jakob Hittorff (1792-1857), 1852. Finished a week after the coup, the circus became the circus Napoleon. Built for Louis Dejean, this cirquesitue near the grand boulevards and theatres that attracted a large audience at that time. The decoration is inspired by Greek architecture. The entrance is decorated with two cast iron statues that announce the equestrian vocation of the place. / Bridgeman Images
TEC4661319: Hotel Latitude 43 in Saint Tropez (Var). Architect Georges Henri Pingusson (1894-1978), 1931-1933. Long white concrete bar, this 110-room old hotel dominates the city. Since 1998, this very symbolic place of the modern movement has become a co-ownership of individual accommodations. / Bridgeman Images
TEC4661341: Hotel Latitude 43 in Saint Tropez (Var). Architect Georges Henri Pingusson (1894-1978), 1931-1933. Long white concrete bar, this 110-room old hotel dominates the city. Since 1998, this very symbolic place of the modern movement has become a co-ownership of individual accommodations. / Bridgeman Images
TEC4661389: Hotel Latitude 43 in Saint Tropez (Var). Architect Georges Henri Pingusson (1894-1978), 1931-1933. Long white concrete bar, this 110-room old hotel dominates the city. Since 1998, this very symbolic place of the modern movement has become a co-ownership of individual accommodations. / Bridgeman Images