ISS007-E-6305
NASA Photo ID | ISS007-E-6305 |
Focal Length | 180mm |
Date taken | 2003.06.06 |
Time taken | 10:51:10 GMT |
Resolutions offered for this image:
540 x 354 pixels 997 x 654 pixels 540 x 405 pixels 1000 x 659 pixels 3032 x 2064 pixels 6144 x 4068 pixels 639 x 435 pixels
540 x 354 pixels 997 x 654 pixels 540 x 405 pixels 1000 x 659 pixels 3032 x 2064 pixels 6144 x 4068 pixels 639 x 435 pixels
Cloud masks available for this image:
Country or Geographic Name: | DEM. REP. OF CONGO |
Features: | CONGO RIVER, BRAZZAVILLE, KINSHASA |
Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 10 (1-10)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 64° |
Sun Azimuth: | 5° |
Camera: | Kodak DCS760c Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 180mm |
Camera Tilt: | 26 degrees |
Format: | 3060E: 3060 x 2036 pixel CCD, RGBG array |
Film Exposure: | |
Additional Information | |
Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
540 pixels | 354 pixels | Photographic Highlights | Download Image | ||
997 pixels | 654 pixels | Photographic Highlights | Download Image | ||
540 pixels | 405 pixels | Yes | No | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
1000 pixels | 659 pixels | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image | ||
3032 pixels | 2064 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
6144 pixels | 4068 pixels | No | No | Presentation | Download Image |
639 pixels | 435 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
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Image Caption: Kinshasa and Brazzaville:
This image, taken from the International Space Station on June 6, 2003, shows two capital cities on opposite banks of the Congo River. The smaller city is Brazzaville on the north side of the river, and Kinshasa on the south side. The cities lie at the downstream end of an almost circular widening in the river known as Stanley Pool. The international boundary follows the south shore of the pool (roughly 30 km in diameter).
The Republic of the Congo, originally a French colony, is sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville--as opposed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known from 1971 to 1999 as Zaire) which is often called Congo-Kinshasa, originally a Belgian colony. Brazzaville has a population of 600,000, compared with Kinshasa's 6.8 million. Kinshasa's population has more than doubled in 20 years--2.7 million in 1984 and 6.8 million in 2004. Kinshasa is thus now far larger than the entire Congo-Brazzaville republic, which has a population of almost 3 million. There is no bridge between the cities so that water craft of many kinds ply between them. It is not uncommon to see dugout canoes being paddled between the cities.
The Congo River drains the vast equatorial Congo Basin, and discharges 35,000-40,000 cubic meters per second of water at Stanley Pool (by comparison, the Nile River discharges 2,500-3,500 cubic meters per second at Aswan). The Congo River exits the pool through a markedly narrowed channel at a series of whitewater rapids that can be seen in this view from space.
This image, taken from the International Space Station on June 6, 2003, shows two capital cities on opposite banks of the Congo River. The smaller city is Brazzaville on the north side of the river, and Kinshasa on the south side. The cities lie at the downstream end of an almost circular widening in the river known as Stanley Pool. The international boundary follows the south shore of the pool (roughly 30 km in diameter).
The Republic of the Congo, originally a French colony, is sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville--as opposed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known from 1971 to 1999 as Zaire) which is often called Congo-Kinshasa, originally a Belgian colony. Brazzaville has a population of 600,000, compared with Kinshasa's 6.8 million. Kinshasa's population has more than doubled in 20 years--2.7 million in 1984 and 6.8 million in 2004. Kinshasa is thus now far larger than the entire Congo-Brazzaville republic, which has a population of almost 3 million. There is no bridge between the cities so that water craft of many kinds ply between them. It is not uncommon to see dugout canoes being paddled between the cities.
The Congo River drains the vast equatorial Congo Basin, and discharges 35,000-40,000 cubic meters per second of water at Stanley Pool (by comparison, the Nile River discharges 2,500-3,500 cubic meters per second at Aswan). The Congo River exits the pool through a markedly narrowed channel at a series of whitewater rapids that can be seen in this view from space.