Images
December 29, 2013 - Sudan and surrounding countries
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Clouds rolled over Sudan and surrounding countries in mid-December, 2013, creating a long line of wispy white over stark tan of the arid region. The economy of Sudan is heavily dependent on precipitation, with about 80 percent of the work force employed in agriculture, and about 64% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) produced by irrigated agriculture.
Average rainfall in Sudan ranges from less than 25 mm in the dry north (less than 1 in) to 1500 mm (59 in) in the green south. Despite the desert which dominates the north, it is estimated that 42% of the land is cultivatable land, but only about 7% is actually cultivated.
The Nile River is one of the most prominent geographic features of Sudan, and courses from Uganda in the south to the Nile Delta in Egypt, a journey of about 3,000 km (1,864 mi). Two major tributaries of the Nile are the Blue Nile, which rises from Lake Tana in Ethiopian highlands and the White Nile, which carries water from Lake Victoria in Central Africa. The White and Blue Nile meet in Khartoum to form the Nile.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on December 12, 2013.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/12/2013
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Clouds rolled over Sudan and surrounding countries in mid-December, 2013, creating a long line of wispy white over stark tan of the arid region. The economy of Sudan is heavily dependent on precipitation, with about 80 percent of the work force employed in agriculture, and about 64% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) produced by irrigated agriculture.
Average rainfall in Sudan ranges from less than 25 mm in the dry north (less than 1 in) to 1500 mm (59 in) in the green south. Despite the desert which dominates the north, it is estimated that 42% of the land is cultivatable land, but only about 7% is actually cultivated.
The Nile River is one of the most prominent geographic features of Sudan, and courses from Uganda in the south to the Nile Delta in Egypt, a journey of about 3,000 km (1,864 mi). Two major tributaries of the Nile are the Blue Nile, which rises from Lake Tana in Ethiopian highlands and the White Nile, which carries water from Lake Victoria in Central Africa. The White and Blue Nile meet in Khartoum to form the Nile.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on December 12, 2013.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/12/2013
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
