ISS012-E-7151

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Spacecraft nadir point: 20.0° N, 107.7° W

Photo center point: 22.9° N, 109.9° W

Photo center point by machine learning:

Nadir to Photo Center: Northwest

Spacecraft Altitude: 185 nautical miles (343km)
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1000 pixels 771 pixels No Yes Earth From Space collection Download Image
540 pixels 416 pixels Yes Yes Earth From Space collection Download Image
540 pixels 540 pixels Yes Yes NASA's Earth Observatory web site Download Image
3032 pixels 2008 pixels No No Not enhanced Download Image
639 pixels 435 pixels No No Download Image
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Image Caption: Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico

The built-up areas of Cabo (cape) San Lucas stand out as bright, angular areas inland from the main bay on the tip of the Baja California peninsula. The town is nearly centered on the bay, which looks out onto the blue waters of the Gulf of California. Three dry river beds (white sands in this arid environment) descend from rugged, wooded hills to the coastline. River sands then accumulate to form the white beaches visible along the coastline adjacent to the city.

Cabo San Lucas, once just a collection of fishing villages, is now a tourist hotspot (current population 41,000), known for its mild, sunny winter weather. It has grown rapidly in the past few decades, with new neighborhoods sprawling north and northwest (indicated with lines) along major roads. Larger developments stretch northeast along the coast for 40 kilometers from Cabo San Lucas to the slightly larger city of San Jose del Cabo (not visible). Whale watching competes with marlin fishing as one of the area's most popular activities.