Earth from Space - Image Description

STS041-079-097 Fanning Island, Line Islands October 1990
Located in the central Pacific Ocean, 1200 miles (1932 km) south of the island of Hawaii, Fanning Island can be seen in this north-looking view. Fanning Island, a tropical coral atoll is 12 miles (19 km) long and 4 miles (6 km) wide, and covers an area of 15 sq. miles (39 sq. km). There are approximately 1700 people now living on the island. Tourism from cruise ships is the major industry of the island.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.