Earth from Space - Image Description

STS056-078-032 Thasos Island, Greece April 1993
Thasos (Thassos) Island, famous in antiguity for its gold and marble lies 4 miles (6 km) off the coast of Greece in the northern Aegean Sea. Covering an area of 170 sq. miles (440 sq. km), the rugged, forested, mountainous island is composed of marble and gray green gneiss. Numerous sandy beaches dot the island. Ample rainfall in autumn and winter sustains the dense vegetation, which covers the landscape and makes the island a popular vacation resort area. Thasos Island is now famous for its honey as beehives are in evidence throughout the island. The long airport runway at Kavala Khrisoupolis Airport on mainland Greece is visible near the bottom center of the image.

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