August 8, 2019 - Nile River Delta

On August 4, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the “flower of the desert”, the Nile River and its lush, green delta.

The Nile is the longest river in the world, extending for about 6,700 kilometers (4,163 mi) from its headwaters in the highlands of eastern Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, flowing through arid regions rich in sand and rock. As the river water moistens the soil, plants grow, creating a green ribbon, or “stem” of the flower. As the river nears the Mediterranean, it spreads into one of the world’s largest river deltas, reaching from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east. The delta extends about 99 miles (160 km) from north to south, and 150 mi (240 km) from east to west.

A rich agricultural area, the delta also hosts a number of cities, which can be seen in this image as gray or tan circle and smudges. At the apex of the fertile Nile River Delta is the Egyptian capital city of Cairo. To the west are the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 8/4/2019
Resolutions: 1km (362.2 KB), 500m (993.4 KB), 250m (676.1 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC