France, NewCaledonia - MERIS - 12 September 2003

The main island of the French territory of New Caledonia, Grande Terre, is visible in the lower part of this Meris image. The island is a long mountain range which reaches 1,639 meters in altitude. It is surrounded by a coral reef which varies in distance from the coast, as much as 65 kilometres in some spots, as little as two or three kilometres in others. The island is flanked to the northeast by the Loyalty islands. Ouvea, to the west, is an old-reef raised limestone island; Lifou and Mare, to the east, are uplifted coral atolls.

Much farther north, the New Hebrides archipelago, or Vanuatu group, can be seen. The islands of this Y-shaped chain are volcanic; several volcanoes are still active.

Technical Information:
Instrument: MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS)
Date of Acquisition: 12 September 2003
Orbit number: 08028
Instrument features: RR
Coordinates:
NE Lat/Long: S 14.04 / E 171.39
NW Lat/Long: S 11.75 / E 160.92
SW Lat/Long: S 24.32 / E 157.51
SE Lat/Long: S 26.68 / E 168.80