Africa’s Atlas Mountains

This image, acquired by Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument on 30 January 2009, features the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa, a series of five ranges that separate the northern Mediterranean climate from the arid climate of the Sahara Desert, visible occupying lower portion of image.

Morocco is home to three of the ranges: the High Atlas (visible covered in snow in left corner), Middle Atlas (visible as two patches of snow northeast of High Atlas) and Anti-Atlas (not visible but located southwest of High Atlas).

 Also visible in the image are the Mediterranean Sea (top right), the Atlantic Ocean (left), the Strait of Gibraltar (connects the Atlantic to the Mediterranean) and the southeastern part of Spain.