Absolutely Spectacular! 5 international borders as seen from space
We all have seen international borders on maps and the news, all the time. Some might have even seen one or two international borders in real life, but have you ever wondered how they would look like from space? Here are pictures of five stunning international borders as seen from space.
Germany- as seen from East and West
The Berlin Wall separates the eastern and western halves of Germany. The yellow lights in the eastern part appear yellow, while the lights in the western part are a bit greener. This is a result of preferences for more environmentally friendly forms of lighting in the western part of the city. This picture was clicked by André Kuipers from the ISS in 2012.
(Photograph:X)
China-North Korea-South Korea
North Korea appears almost fully blacked out in this picture of the Korean Peninsula taken by the Expedition 38 crew aboard the ISS in Feb 2014. The border of North Korea are so dark that they are almost unrecognizable from the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan on either side of the country.
(Photograph:X)
US-Mexico
This picture was captured in Oct 2014 from the ISS shows US and Mexico separated by both the Rio Grande and a wall. El Paso on the US side abuts Ciudad Juarez top right on the Mexico side. Both are heavily developed, with the respective exceptions of Franklin Mountain State Park on the top left and land near Puerto de Anapra bottom right.
(Photograph:X)
Iran-Iraq
This picture of Iran-Iraq border was clicked in Nov 2014 by Expedition 42 crew aboard ISS, which shows 12-mile stretch of the international border. The crew soon realised the lines were actually military fortifications. In the 1980s, this was a highly contested area between the two countries, especially during Iraq’s defense of the southern city of Basra.
(Photograph:X)