Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia

Credit: Jeff Schmaltz MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC, Posted on: Monday, 1 December 2008, 07:21 CST Download full size image

This image, captured by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on November 22, 2008 shows the East African nations Kenya (lower left), Somalia (center), and Ethiopia (top). Dominating the scene are the greenish plains of Somalia and the mountains of Ethiopia. With altitudes as high as 4,620 meters (15,157 feet) in Ethiopia, the highlands pull moisture from the arid air, resulting in relatively lush vegetation.

Throughout eastern Ethiopia and extending into Somalia is bright red clay soil. Similar coloration occurs in Kenya, to the southwest of Somalia. Although it’s difficult to see in this image, the southern end of the Great Rift Valley curves in an arc from the Gulf of Aman in Ethiopia to northern Kenya. This is a geological fault system that extends well across two continents, from Southwestern Asia into Eastern Africa for over 4,830 km (about 3,000 miles).

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