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> The Great Barrier Reef in Australia from satellite

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia from satellite

author: Nasa/GSFC/Novapix

reference: t-ocaus-00009

Image Size 300 DPI: 10 * 12 cm

The Great Barrier Reef extends for 2,000 kilometers along the northeastern coast of Australia. It is not a single reef, but a vast maze of reefs, passages, and coral cays (islands that are part of the reef). This nadir true-color image was acquired by the MISR instrument on August 26, 2000 (satellite Terra), and shows part of the southern portion of the reef adjacent to the central Queensland coast. The width of the MISR swath is approximately 380 kilometers, with the reef clearly visible up to approximately 200 kilometers from the coast. The more northerly coastal area in this image shows the vast extent of sugar cane cultivation, this being the largest sugar producing area in Australia, centered on the city of Mackay. Other industries in the area include coal, cattle, dairying, timber, grain, seafood, and fruit. The large island off the most northerly part of the coast visible in this image is Whitsunday Island, with smaller islands and reefs extending southeast, parallel to the coast. These include some of the better known resort islands such as Hayman, Lindeman, Hamilton, and Brampton Islands.

Keywords for this photo:

2000 - AUSTRALIA - CORAL - EARTH - EARTH FROM SPACE - ISLAND - QUEENSLAND - SATELLITE IMAGE - SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE - TERRA - UNESCO - WORLD HERITAGE -