Daily Overview

The Merowe Dam, built along the Nile River in Sudan, is the largest hydroelectric project in Africa. River diversion began in 2004, with construction finishing in 2009. Upon completion, the dam doubled Sudan’s electricity supply. As the dam backed up and expanded the flow of the river into a reservoir, the surface area of the Nile increased roughly 270 square miles (699 square kilometers) and displaced 70,000 indigenous people who relied on the land for farming. Because of the warm climate in the region, combined with this increase in surface area, the reservoir is now experiencing evaporation losses of 396.3 billion gallons (1.5 billion cubic meters) of water every year, roughly 8 percent of the water allocated to Sudan from the 1959 Nile Waters Treaty.

18.668889°, 32.050278°

Source imagery: NASA / Google Timelapse

On the Makran Coast of Pakistan, there is a hammerhead-shaped peninsula near the city of Ormara known as a horst. These geological formations occur when blocks of Earth’s crust that have been lifted remain stationary while land on either side sinks. This particular horst used to be an island, however, over time, the action of waves and drifting sands created a long sand bridge that connects the island to the mainland.

25.182469°, 64.645151°

Source imagery: Maxar

Sagrada Família is an iconic basilica in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by architect Antoni Gaudí using Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau styles, the church has been under construction since 1882. It is expected to be complete by 2026 — the centenary of Gaudí’s death — with work on sculptures and decorations continuing until 2034.

41.403690°, 2.174330°

Source imagery: Maxar

El Ojo, or “The Eye,” is an unusual island found in the marshland of the Parana Delta, in northeastern Argentina. Circular and about 387 feet (118 m) in diameter, the island appears to float and rotate on its axis, surrounded by a thin channel of water. Some say El Ojo hides a UFO base, but researchers believe a slow-moving water current beneath the island naturally spins it, and this rotation has caused it to gradually erode into a circular shape.

-34.252137°, -58.829684°

Source imagery: Maxar

An incredible new view of Jupiter, captured by NASA’s Juno Spacecraft on October 27. Orbiting the gas giant since 2016, Juno seeks to answer questions about the origin and evolution of Jupiter, its moons, our solar system and beyond. From 1.7 billion miles away, it has discovered vast storms around Jupiter’s poles, active volcanos and lakes of lava on the moon Io, and more. It is scheduled to continue surveying the planet until September 2025.

The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, Greece. It contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. Much of the site was constructed in the fifth century BC, under the ambitious plans of the Athenian statesman Pericles, as a tribute to thought and the arts.

37.971667°, 23.726111°

Source imagery: Maxar

Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., the White House is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States. Construction of the 55,000-square-foot (5,100-sq-meter) neoclassical building was completed in 1800 and numerous additions and renovations have taken place in the decades since.

Today is Election Day in the United States, and one in which the nation’s presidency is on the ballot. If you have not done so already, we encourage you to get out and vote, and do so safely!

38.897778°, -77.036389°

Source imagery: Nearmap

Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain, has been snowless for longer this year than any other in its 130-year record books. Snow typically begins forming on the iconic 12,388-foot (3,776 meters) peak in the first days of October, but has yet to accumulate this year — the first flakes are forecasted for this week. Japan had its hottest summer on record this year, and warmer than average conditions continued throughout September.

35.360833°, 138.727500°

Source imagery: Maxar

These before and after Overviews of Valencia, Spain show the extent of flood damage throughout the region, where more than 200 people have died in one of the worst natural disasters in the nation’s history. Torrential downpours earlier this week caused flash flooding that turned streets into rivers, swept away vehicles and infrastructure, and coated neighborhoods with a thick layer of mud. Some areas received a year’s worth of rain in just a few hours.

Source imagery: Maxar

Happy Halloween! A pink skeleton mural covers the grounds at Reservoir Skatepark in northern Melbourne, Australia. The piece spans roughly 20,000 square feet (1,858 sq. m) and is one of many large murals in the area created by artist Kitt Bennett. For a sense of scale, 20,000 sq ft. is nearly half the size of an American football field.

-37.711934°, 144.992803°

Source imagery: Nearmap

The Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, is an internationally significant waterway, marking a continental boundary between Asia and Europe. It is spanned by three suspension bridges, two of which — Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (top) and Bosphorus Bridge — are seen here. It is the world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation, just 2,300 feet (700 m) wide at its thinnest point.

41.119444°, 29.075278°

Source imagery: Maxar

The city of Chongqing, China, has quadrupled in size since 1990, its population surging from 2.5 million to nearly 10 million. Located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, its urban core has steadily sprawled outward across folds of mountain ranges and valleys. The larger Chongqing Metropolis is China’s most populous municipality, with about 32 million people living across its 26 districts, eight counties and four autonomous counties.

29.563700°, 106.550400°

Source imagery: Google Timelapse

Downtown Portland, Oregon, on the banks of the Willamette River. With more than 650,000 inhabitants, it is Oregon’s largest and most-populous city and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest. Portland’s cityscape is defined by its numerous bridges, many of which are historic and the three most traveled — Hawthorne Bridge, Steel Bridge and Broadway Bridge — are more than 100 years old.

45.520000°, -122.681944°

Source imagery: Nearmap

Here’s roughly 4,100 square kilometers (1,600 sq. mi) of deforestation around Rolim de Moura, Brazil. This community, like many in Brazil’s state of Rondônia, has grown since the 1980s, when the government incentivized farmers to resettle here from more crowded areas in the south. In 1985, less than 10% of Rondônia was deforested for farming; but by 2017, 33% of its forested land had been converted to pasture and agriculture.

-11.739174°, -61.785349°

Source imagery: Google Timelapse

Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada was constructed for the 1976 Olympic Games. Incorporated into the north base of the stadium, inclined at 45°, is the Montreal Tower, which at 541 feet (165 m) is the world’s tallest inclined tower. The stadium has not had a main tenant since the Montreal Expos left in 2004, though CF Montreal has used it when demand for tickets justifies the large capacity.

45.558000°, -73.552000°

Source imagery: Maxar

London, England, is the capital and most populous city of the United Kingdom. Situated on the River Thames, London is the world’s most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and is recognized for having a diverse range of peoples and cultures. More than 300 languages are spoken within the Greater London area.

51.507222°, -0.127500°

Source imagery: Planet

The Jiuquan Wind Power Base in northern China is the world’s largest wind farm, with 7,000 turbines lined up across more than 1,600 square miles (4,140 sq. Km) of desert land. Constructed from 2009-2021, it is capable of generating 20 gigawatts of power — 13 times more than the largest wind farm in the USA. In 2017, a 1,480-mile-long (2,383-km) transmission line was completed, connecting the remote wind farm to the power grid in Hunan Province — population 66.5 million — allowing full utilization of its generation capacity.

40.714520°, 95.558660°

Source imagery: Google Timelapse