Niger River

Coursing through parched, landlocked Mali in Western Africa, the Niger River flows north through an ancient sand sea before turning sharply east to skirt the edge of the dune-striped Sahara. At the confluence of the Bani and Niger Rivers is an island delta complete with narrows, twisting waterways, lagoons, and tiny islands.

Image date: 8 February 2003

Part of the US Geological Survey's "Earth as Art 2" collection of images taken by the Landsat 7 satellite, the ASTER instrument aboard the Terra satellite, and the MODIS instruments aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites.

Since 1972, Landsat satellites have collected from space information about Earth’s continents and coastal areas, enabling scientists to study many aspects of the planet and to evaluate changes caused by both natural processes and human practices. This image was created by visualizing both visible-light and infrared data in colors visible to the human eye; band combinations and colors were chosen to optimize their dramatic appearance.

Credit: ASTER/U.S. Geological Survey [source has higher resolution version]

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