Cape Town, South Africa

Credit: MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Thursday, 9 June 2005, 06:05 CDT Download full size image

On the southwestern corner of Africa is the hook-like Cape of Good Hope peninsula and Cape Town, the capital of South Africa. They are shown here in this true-color Aqua MODIS image acquired on May 20, 2005. Running east away from Cape Town are the Great Karroo Mountains, which turn into the Drakensberg Mountains farther east along the coast. The eastern coastline has an almost tropical climate, due to its lush vegetation and mild climate. The southern coast, a part of which is known as the Garden Route, is more Mediterranean in climate, having wet winters and hot, dry summers. This region is also particularly known for its wind, which blows intermittently almost all year; the severity of this wind made passing around the Cape of Good Hope particularly treacherous for sailors. The lone spot of red north of the Cape is a location where MODIS detected an active fire.

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