South Africa

Credit: Jeff Schmaltz; MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Sunday, 25 November 2007, 10:52 CST Download full size image

The Republic of South Africa is visible in this image captured by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on November 18, 2007. Part of Namibia is visible near the left top edge. Black lines denote country borders.

Featured prominently in this image is the southern part of South Africa, which is the southern-most tip of the African continent itself. Jutting out into the Atlantic is the hook-like Cape of Good Hope peninsula. This peninsula is the location of Cape Town, the parliamentary capital of South Africa. Though the Cape of Good Hope is often thought to be the most southerly point in Africa, that honor actually belongs to Cape Agulhas, which is about 90 miles to the south east of the Cape of Good Hope. Cape Agulhas is also considered the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Running west to east away from Cape Town are the Great Karroo Mountains. The dark shadowing in this image conveys a sense of the very steep grade of the cliffs along the southern coast of South Africa.

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