This view of Bombetoka Bay, Madagascar, taken by NASA's TERRA satellite, shows again the magic of looking back at our amazing planet in all its beauty. Here is the rest of the story from NASA:
On the northwestern coast of Madagascar, the salty waters of the Mozambique Channel penetrate inland to join with the freshwater outflow of the Betsiboka River, forming Bombetoka Bay. Numerous islands and sandbars have formed in the estuary from the large amount of sediment carried in by the Betsiboka River and have been shaped by the flow of the river and the push and pull of tides.
The part of the bay shown in the scene is just upriver from the important Malagasy (the adjective used to describe things and people from Madagascar) port city of Mahajanga. Near water, shrimp and rice farming are common—the rectangular blue areas near the top center edge may be shrimp pens—while coffee plantations abound in the surrounding terrain.
Image Credit: NASA image courtesy the U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team, NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS
