The Nhamundá River, Brazil

Part of the Amazon Basin in northern Brazil is pictured in this image from the Japanese ALOS satellite. Along the left side of the image and running along the bottom, the Nhamundá River creates the border between the Brazilian states of Pará (north) and Amazonas (south). Small patches of land and vegetation outline the river’s main route, though the surrounding area is also covered by water. The somewhat geometric shapes that appear dark green and brown over the land are the result of forest clear cutting.

This image was created by combining two acquisitions from ALOS’s radar on 20 June and 5 August 2008. ESA supports ALOS as a Third Party Mission, which means ESA utilises its multi-mission European ground infrastructure and expertise to acquire, process and distribute data from the satellite to its wide user community.

This image is featured on the Earth from Space video programme.