Earth from Space: Kolkata, India

Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, is featured in this optical image, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.

Zoom in to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution or click on the circles to learn more about the features in it.

Kolkata, visible in grey in the centre of the image, is one of India’s largest cities with over 14 million inhabitants. Part of the neighbouring country Bangladesh is also visible in the right.

Kolkata lies on the Hooghly River, which can be seen cutting through the city. The different shades of brown and blue in the water are likely due to the high concentration of sediments. Vast agricultural and aquaculture fields can also be seen, including rice fields and fish ponds, which are distinguishable by their rectangular shapes and the presence of water, particularly in the right side of the image.

The Sundarbans National Park is visible in dark green in the bottom right corner. This protected national reserve, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to Bengal tigers and hosts a vast mangrove forest.

Copernicus Sentinel-2 is a two-satellite mission designed to map differences in land cover to understand Earth’s landscape, as well as monitor changes over time. As cities continue to expand, Sentinel-2 can also be used to improve urban and rural planning.