Egypt is shown in all its splendor in space imagery from NASA and the European Space Agency. Here’s the satellite view of the Pyramids and Nile River from space.
This camera view, which is located 400 kilometers above Earth, is dominated by Egypt, which includes the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, the Nile River, and Mount Sinai. To the right is Saudi Arabia’s coastline, and to the north are Israel, Jordan, and Syria. On June 10, 2019, the International Space Station (ISS) captured the picture (Nasa)
This nighttime photograph from above Egypt more vividly depicts the nation’s urbanization, which is focused along the Nile. Cairo may be seen as a large luminous patch at the bottom of the Nile delta (the inverted triangle), and the Faiyum Governorate can be seen directly below it to the west of the Nile. Under the cloud-covered Mediterranean, on the western coast, Alexandria is the line of light. Gaza is located farther east along the shore, and Jerusalem is located inland from Gaza. ISS photo from October 28, 2010 (Nasa)
Because this image was taken at an angle from the ISS, it is impossible to provide a scale. The road distance from Cairo to Luxor is 504 kilometers; the distance from Cairo to Alexandria is approximately 220 kilometers; and the distance from Luxor to Aswan is around 230 kilometers (Nasa)
Cairo’s population increased from 2.5 million to more than 21 million between 1950 and 2020, reflecting its prominence as the largest Arab city in the Middle East. The difference is visible from space, as demonstrated in these two images. The first image was taken in July 1984 by the Landsat 5 satellite, and the second in September 2019 by Landsat 9. Grey represents urban growth, beige represents arid landscapes, and green represents farmland. Take note of the expansion, particularly on the Nile’s eastern bank. The city of New Cairo, in the center of the right-hand image, was established by presidential order in 2000. Giza, a city in its own right, stands in its place (Nasa)
Giza is home to Egypt’s most visited pyramids, which were built roughly 4,500 years ago in honor of the pharaohs Menkaure, Khafre, and Khufu. The Great Pyramid is the sole remaining Ancient World Wonder. Smaller, incomplete pyramids and tombs for prominent individuals lie nearby. To the southeast of the main pyramid is the Great Sphinx. The location is near modern Cairo and has a golf course with a larger footprint than the nearby Great Pyramid. The ISS captured this image on July 25, 2012 (Nasa/JSC).
The Red and Bent Pyramids, located 20 kilometers south of Giza and adjacent to the Nile, were constructed during the tenure of Pharaoh Snofru (BCE2613-2589). The elements and the removal of outer protecting blocks have damaged their state over millennia. The Bent Pyramid gets its name from the way its angle decreases halfway up. The name of the more modern Red Pyramid comes from the construction stone at its heart. The neighboring Black Pyramid, built some 700 years later, is a collapsing structure with a mound-like appearance. The ISS captured this image on May 30, 2008 (Nasa/JSC).
This false-color photograph depicts Luxor, which is situated 504 kilometers south of Cairo on the Nile and is the location of the ancient Egyptian city of Waset. Water is shown in black, vegetation in red, and urban areas in brown to grey to facilitate identification. Waset, known to the ancient Greeks as Thebes, encompassed the temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor. The Valley of the Kings, to the north, is the final resting place of hundreds of Egyptian pharaohs, including King Tutankhamun. Taken from the Terra satellite on November 15, 2018, using data from Nasa/Meti/AIST/Japan Space Systems (Nasa/JPL).
The man-made Lake Nasser was named after Egypt’s then-president and was built after the decade-long building of the Aswan High Dam. The dam was completed in 1970, 68 years after the smaller Aswan Low Dam downstream. The lake is 479 kilometers long and 16 kilometers wide, and it took six years to fill. Egypt’s arable land grew by one-third as a result of its construction. It is also popular with fisherman and visitors.
However, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which opened in 2020 and is a source of conflict between the two governments, threatens lake levels. The smaller body of water in Sudan’s southern region is called Lake Nubia. Overflow from Lake Nasser caused the Toshka lakes to appear in the 1990s. The composite image was captured with Landsat 8 between 2013 and 2020. (Nasa)
For generations, the Dakhla Oasis, located 750 kilometers from Cairo, has served as a vital junction for trade between Egypt and Sudan. The Gebel Edmonstone is a “mesa” (high, flat-topped hill or ridge) formed of white limestone, behind which lies shale containing fossils and sedimentary rock. This image has been enhanced to highlight the geology of the region, especially the limestone (white-grey) and sediment (blue-grey). The vegetation, which is largely agricultural fields, is to the north and is a dark blue-black color. Taken from the International Space Station on June 18, 2004 (Nasa/JSC).
In this false-color photograph, shot roughly 200 kilometers southeast of Cairo and 30 kilometers west of the Gulf of Suez, bare lowlands meet mountainous uplands. Alluvial fans emerge to the northwest of the hills when rivers flow fast from high terrain onto flat country. The bare rock ranges in color from pink-beige to tan, the vegetation is red, and the fans are wavy lines of blue-grey and white that flow down from the uplands. The Coptic Christian Monastery of St Anthony, which dates back to 300CE and is located on an oasis with red vegetation, is dwarfed by this severe landscape. Terra satellite image from November 13, 2009 (Nasa/Aster Science Team/JPL).
The Siwa Oasis in northwest Egypt is 20 meters below sea level and around 50 kilometers from the Libyan border. Because of groundwater-supporting flora, the remote area has been inhabited for at least 12,000 years. Among the ancient visitors was Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE. The region has long been known for its salt pools and salt manufacture, as well as more lately, upscale tourists. The Qattara Depression lies to the east, and the Great Sand Sea, which is larger than Lebanon, Qatar, and Bahrain combined, lies to the west. Taken from the International Space Station on May 8, 2015. (Nasa)
Researchers drilled five cores into the Giza floodplain in May 2019 to try and reconstruct the history of the Nile. It was discovered that a vanished arm of Nile helped ancient Egyptians transport pyramid materials.
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