Athena Review Image Archive: Nile Delta near Alexandria

Athena Review Image Archive ^™

Rivers Seen From Space: The Nile Delta near Alexandria

This view from the southeast overlooks the green expanse of the Nile delta, with the Suez Canal and portions of the Red Sea in the background. The delta begins to fan out around Cairo, about 160 km inland near the picture's right edge. The image, taken on June 4, 1965 from the Gemini 4 spacecraft, also shows the earth's curvature on the horizon.

The nearest part of the shoreline includes the Rosetta branch of the River Nile. The maximum width of the delta along the Mediterranean coastline is about 250 km. The city of Alexandria is just below the bottom of the image. The crescent-shaped bay at the lower edge of the image is Aboukir Bay, site of the naval defeat of Napolean's fleet by British ships under Nelson.

[Fig.1: Germini 4 view of the Nile Delta (NASA/JPL Gemini 4, S65-34776).]

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