Cities

27/10/2019, Beijing, China From January 25 up to February 4, China celebrates its Spring Festival announcing the new Year of the Rat. To this occasion, our beloved PROBA-V satellite takes a peek at the capital of the People’s Republic, Beijing, one of the most populous cities in the world. With each new year, many resolve to get their body into shape. The same can be said for EuroGEO, Europe’s contribution to the inter-governmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and its global system of systems (GEOSS). To this end, research projects like e-Shape work on the technologies to access and use EO data, like PROBA-V’s observations, for monitoring crops, for instance through a suite of Essential Agriculture Variables (EAVs).	30/10/2019, Beijing, China This week, a Belgian delegation presided by HRH Princess Astrid, is visiting the People’s Republic of China to strengthen the economic ties between both countries. During this mission, Belgian potato industry association Belgapom and a centre for agriculture and fisheries promotion, VLAM, organize a specific event to highlight the potato value chain. There, VITO will present the use of satellite technology and field observations for potato monitoring, the WatchItGrow service. For this occasion, we send you a PROBA-V snapshot of China’s capital of Beijing, one of the largest cities in the world, and its neighbour Tianjin at the coast of Bohai Sea.	17/10/2019, This week, the Australian capital of Canberra, that translates to “meeting place” in the indigenous language, is the scene of the main event of the Group on Earth Observations: the GEO Week with its Plenary and Ministerial Summit. The 2019 edition adds specific focus to industry involvement and how Earth Observations can boost sustained and inclusive economic growth. In particular in frontier digital technologies such as Big Data and cloud computing. As VITO Remote Sensing has contributed to the GEO Work Programme and Initiatives such as e-shape to establish the regional EUROGEO and GEOGLAM through R&D efforts, that make use of PROBA-V data and the MEP platform, it was only befitting to provide a snapshot of Canberra and its surroundings. This PROBA-V image and the Sentinel-2 inset show the Australian Capital Territory and the southern part of New South Wales. The capital city Canberra is located between the mountains and forests of national parks to the southeast and southwest, and Lake George to the northeast. contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2019)	12/12/2018, Lagos, Nigeria In June, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs published their 26th round of population estimates and projections in their report entitled “World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights”. Based on the analysis of demographic data for 235 countries or geographic areas, the report concludes that the world’s population is expected to rise by to 9.7 billion in the next 30 years and to reach a peak of nearly 11 billion around the end of the century. And, with many of the fastest growing populations living in the poorest countries, the expected growth will likely bring more challenges to meet the sustainable development targets in eradicating poverty, combating hunger or bolstering healthcare and require important investments in education. The report’s projections earmark Nigeria as the country with the second largest population increase, just after India. The Nigerian city 'Lagos', shown in this PROBA-V 100 m image (dark red tones), is currently the 8th fastest growing city in Africa and it is expected to further double its population by 2050.
17/12/2017, Hubei, China From Spring Festival (Feb 5) to the Lantern Festival (Feb 19), Chinese people worldwide celebrate the new year with the traditional tigers and dragons. Today marks the start of a Year of the Pig, the last animal of the zodiac and a symbol of wealth and good fortune. In the 12-year cycles (one per zodiac sign) of the elements of nature, 2019 marks the twelfth year of the element Earth. People born in a year of the Earth element and Pig sign are likely realistic, communicative, punctual and hard working, but perhaps not so romantic. Less talk, more action, exactly what we need for our planet. To celebrate the Chinese New Year we share with you this 100 m image of the meandering Yangtze River as it courses through Hubei province, while receiving water from lakes such as Dongting and Changhu. As the longest river in Asia, Yangtze continues to play a vital role in China’s history, culture, economy and ecology.	17/11/2018, Katowic, Poland The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP24 will be held from 2 – 14 December in the city of Katowice, southern Poland. The city will be host to about 20,000 participants from 190 countries, from politicians to scientists and business representatives. The conference’s most important goal is to refine and finalize the rules for implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, of which the first steps were taken last year at COP23 in Bonn, Germany. The final Paris Agreement rulebook should define for the agreeing countries on how to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions and to raise their ambition to keep the global warming well below 2°C by the year 2100. To pay attention to this important climate change conference, we share with you this 100 m image of Katowice, Poland, from 17 November 2018.	05/05/2018, Stockholm, Sweden On their way to sustainability, cities need support to become more resilient to hazards, protect and preserve human life and limit damages to public and private assets, while continuing to provide infrastructure and services, during and after a crisis. Moreover, climate change may make the crisis more severe and/or more frequent with the impact of sea level rise on coastal cities as one example. Raising global awareness and calling to action on the sustainable development of cities worldwide, is what the UN’s World Cities Day is all about. On the occasion of the 2018 edition, on October 31, PROBA-V shares an image of Stockholm, Sweden’s capital city (in grey tones, between Lake Malar and the coastline). Stockholm is the third most sustainable city, according to an exhaustive study of 2016 that ranked 100 of the world’s top cities.	15/05/2018, Kyoto, Japan From 29 October through 2 November, the Group of Earth Observations (GEO) Week 2018 and GEO-plenary XV take place in Japan’s former capital city of Kyoto. During this week, GEO’s 105 Member governments and 127 Participating Organizations will explore efforts and opportunities to use Earth observations for the benefit of humankind, focusing on GEO’s three priority areas: - The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction - The Paris Climate Agreement - The UN Sustainable Development Goals To highlight this event, we show you a false-colour image of 15 May 2018, with Kyoto in the image center in grey, while the larger Osaka agglomeration can be seen southwest of Kyoto. The Yodo River and its tributaries, originating from Kyoto’s surroundings, flow to the southwest and discharge into Osaka Bay, from which a small part is shown in the lower-left image corner. East of Kyoto Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest freshwater lake, is visible.
09/08/2018, Sydney, Australia On the first Monday of October, designated as World Habitat Day, the United Nations promotes the sustainable development urban areas around the world to ensure the basic human right of adequate shelter. This year, the focus is on Municipal Solid Waste Management, that is directly related to the emission of the powerful greenhouse gas methane. Moreover, uncollected waste can contribute to the spreading of water-borne diseases, in particular in less developed countries. Between 2009 and 2013, only 65 percent of the growing urban populations were served by municipal waste collection, according to the progress report on SDG 11. As part of its Sustainable Sydney 2030 programme, the Australian City of Sydney, shown in this false-colour PROBA-V image, adopted a number of measures to avoid waste, improve collection and recycling efforts and invest in advanced treatment to derive renewable gas. Hopefully reaching its zero-waste target by 2030.	04/06/2018, Gansu-Zhangye-Gaotai, China The city of Zhangye, China, is located in the Hexi Corridor, a part of the ancient northern Silk Road in northern China. The 100 m image of 4 June 2018 shows Zhangye in the lower-right part of the image, located along the Heihe River. Due to its strategic importance in its military and geographical location, Zhangye became the center of politics, economy, culture, and diplomatic activities of past dynasties in northern China. Furthermore, the combination of fertile soils and its location along the Heihe River, China’s second-largest river basin, result in flourishing agriculture, with among others grain and various sorts of fruits grown. To the southwest, snow-covered tops of the Qilian Shan mountain range can be seen. A part of this mountain range is known as the Rainbow Mountains, due to their colourful mineral layers. In the upper-right image part extensive sand dunes of the Badain Jaran Desert are shown.	12/12/2017, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic The night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Santo Domingo saw the beginning of the uprising, the Haitian Revolution, that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.For this reason, UNESCO commemorates the “International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition” every year on 23 August. In accordance with the goals of the intercultural project "The Slave Route", the day offers an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of this tragedy. And for consideration on the current international cooperation between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean. This week’s PROBA-V false-colour image shows us the Southern part of the Dominican Replublic in the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, that is today divided between the nations of poverty-struck Haiti in the west and the wealthier Dominican Republic in the east.	27/06/2018, Valencia, Spain The city of Valencia, shown in grey in this image, boasts a rich history, going back to the Roman Empire, over 2000 years ago. It makes for a beautiful venue for IGARSS, the annual pinnacle of the IEEE and Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS). This year, the symposium highlights the needs “Observing, Understanding And Forecasting The Dynamics Of Our Planet” and its programme honours the IGARSS tradition of covering a broad range of remote sensing disciplines: from missions and sensors over analysis methods to land, marine, atmospheric and cryosphere applications. This edition focuses additionally on big machine learning, close range remote sensing, model assimilation and global essential variables.
19/05/2018, Cairo, Egypt This year’s World Population Day, established in 1989 and celebrated on 11 July, marks the 50th anniversary of the 1968 International Conference on Human Rights. In this conference, family planning was affirmed a human right and it was stated that “Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children”. The 100 m image of 19 May 2018 shows Cairo, the capital of Egypt and one of the most populated areas in the world. It has about 20 million inhabitants and is located in the Nile Delta, which has an extent of about 25,000 km2. The city and recent urban extensions to the west and east show up in the middle part of the image. To the northwest and northeast, large areas of irrigated land are visible in light green, while in the southeast the mountainous desert and some wadis can be seen.	16/08/2017, Moscow, Russia Founded in the 12th century, the capital of the Russian Federation is blessed with charm and a rich architecture and cultural history, with landmarks such as the Bolshoi Theatre. It is the home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Kremlin and the Red Square. Today, the dynamic metropolitan area boasts over 12 million inhabitants from 130 nationalities, drawing in a further four million tourists every year. This international dimension is again put into the spotlight this year, as Moscow hosts the main venue of the 2018 FIFA World Cup: the 145 hectare Olympic complex of the Luzhniki Stadium, where the Cup will be kicked off on 14 June, with a match between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The city, surrounded by satellite towns and neighbourhoods that form the Moscow Region, is nicely captured (cyan) in this false-colour image from PROBA-V.	03/08/2017, Vienna, Austria Between April 8 and April 13, the European Geophysics Union (EGU) holds its annual General Assembly meeting, a large forum for researchers in all disciplines of the Earth, planetary and space sciences. Last year’s edition attracted an impressive 14 496 participants from 107 countries, many under the age of 35. This year, PROBA-V team will be represented in the booth from the European Space Agency (ESA), to demonstrate the exploitation platform (MEP) and its thematic extension for food security applications. So if you’re attending the conference, make sure to drop by! As always, the EGU assembly is hosted in the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria. This August 2017 image at 100 m resolution clearly depicts the city in grey, split in two by the mighty and meandering Danube River (dark blue). The Austrian capital boasts a long history in music and architecture, renowned as international conference venue and as a major centre for science and IT.	29/03/2017, Cape Town, South Africa The beautiful Western Cape region in South Africa is naturally water-scarce. The historic dry spell, that started back in 2014, is now leaving water levels dangerously low. The city of Cape Town, that is fed by water from six dams in and around the city, is imposing water restrictions to its citizens and visiting tourists. And measures are likely to become as Day Zero (currently expected in April) draws nearer. Day Zero marks the day when dams fall below 13.5% capacity, so low that water taps to residential areas will be turned off and replaced by controlled water distribution at checkpoints. These 100 m PROBA-V images, comparing November 2014 (next image) with March 2017 (this image), clearly highlight the dramatic fall in water levels at three of the Big Six dams: Theewaterskloofdam (southern part of circle) and Brandvleidam & Kwaggaskloofdam that formed one impoundment in 2014, as the dividing ‘wall’ between them was submerged.
11/04/2014, Cape Town, South Africa The beautiful Western Cape region in South Africa is naturally water-scarce. The historic dry spell, that started back in 2014, is now leaving water levels dangerously low. The city of Cape Town, that is fed by water from six dams in and around the city, is imposing water restrictions to its citizens and visiting tourists. And measures are likely to become as Day Zero (currently expected in April) draws nearer. Day Zero marks the day when dams fall below 13.5% capacity, so low that water taps to residential areas will be turned off and replaced by controlled water distribution at checkpoints. These 100 m PROBA-V images, comparing November 2014 (this image) with March 2017 (previous image), clearly highlight the dramatic fall in water levels at three of the Big Six dams: Theewaterskloofdam (southern part of circle) and Brandvleidam & Kwaggaskloofdam that formed one impoundment in 2014, as the dividing ‘wall’ between them was submerged.	05/07/2017, Toulouse, France Located on the banks of the Garonne River in the sunny south of France, PROBA-V spots the Pink City, Toulouse. A city with unique architecture made of pinkish terracotta bricks, which earned it the nickname 'la Ville Rose'. The city is renowned both for its historical and cultural heritage, like the 16th century Pont Neuf (bridge) or its city hall, and as a centre of European space industry and research.	13/02/2017, Guangzhou, China At the last day of Urban October, known as World Cities Day since 2014, the United Nations push forward international cooperation for sustainable urban development. This year’s theme focuses on innovations in city governance, in the face of challenges like urban sprawl, housing shortage, air pollution (smog) and traffic congestion. It further reminds us of the concept of open and diversified cities, requiring flexible governance schemes and novel partnerships. The transition towards Smart Cities is a well-known example. Guangzhou prefecture in the Pearl (Zhujiang) River delta is the largest metropolitan area in the world and one of the fastest growing and most inhabited in China. The city’s harbour is the fifth largest in the world (since 2006) and played a significant role in history as a terminus on the Silk Route. This 100 m PROBA-V image of the city nicely captures the delta and the urban area (grey).	24/09/2017, Maryland, Washington D.C. From 23rd to 27th October 2017, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) community gathers to highlight the role of, opportunities presented by and impact delivered by Earth Observation applications worldwide at the 14th GEO Week, in Washington D.C.. At this event, PROBA-V’s Mission Exploitation Platform (MEP) will be demonstrated to representatives from GEO’s 105 member countries and 115 participating organizations. So make sure to attend and give it a try yourself! This false colour PROBA-V image of late September shows us the Potomac river on the border of the states of Maryland and Virginia. The river dissects the capital of the United States (in grey) in the north of the image, before meandering towards Chesapeake Bay, further to the southeast. Dulles International airport (west of the city) and Andrews Air Force Base (east) stand out in bright cyan.
05/04/2017, Santiago, Chile The first Monday of October is proclaimed by the United Nations as World Habitat Day to reflect on the current state of our towns and cities and the human right to adequate shelter. This year’s theme promotes sustainable development policies on housing in order to provide affordable homes to all. This makes step us back and think about bringing safe shelter to those left homeless in the face of the recent earthquakes or hurricanes. Or, on the opposite side of that coin, the challenges posed by rapid growth and development of major metropolitan areas. The capital of Santiago, showcased here amidst the surrounding mountains, for instance faced a tremendous population increase - from 1 million in 1940 to over 6 million today - making it the most densely populated metropolitan region in Chile. With the first policies and regulations aiming to control its growth dating as far back as the 1960s.	28/09/2016, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas On July 23, the Landsat programme celebrates the 45th anniversary of the launch of the first civilian Earth Observation satellite, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1), later renamed to Landsat-1. With Landsat-8 (or Landsat Data Continuity Mission, LDCM) in orbit today and Landsat-9 planned for launch in late 2020, the Landsat missions programme represents a truly impressive four decades of continuously acquired imagery of the Earth’s land surface. During the same week, 23-28 July, 2017 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS 2017) is organized at Fort Worth, Texas. Fort Worth was originally founded as an army outpost is, but boasts nowadays a very dynamic and contemporary downtown area, with several world-class museums and university communities. The Dallas – Fort Worth metroplex, shown in this PROBA-V false-colour image amidst several lakes, is the fourth most populated metropolitan area in the United States.	23/03/2017, Mumbai, India Since 1989, UN World Population Day - on July, 11th - is a day to pay attention to the urgency and importance of population issues. This year’s theme is “Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations.” One of the world’s largest agglomerations is Mumbai, India, with an estimated population of 22 million. The city’s area first consisted of seven islands that were part of the kingdom of Ashoka and were of Portuguese and Brittish territory from the 16th century onwards, before India becoming independent in 1947. The seven islands were merged into one landmass in 1845, enabling the construction of India’s first railroad connection in 1853. The 100 m image of 23 March 2017 shows the Mumbai agglomeration, with the city of Thane located to the east and the green appearance of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, located north of Mumbai.	06/10/2016, Seoul, South Korea This 100 m false-colour image, dated October 6, 2016, shows the north-western part of the mountainous Korean peninsula, with the South Korean capital city of Seoul in the east. The city is bisected by the Han River, which plays an important role in the Korean history, both as trade route towards China, via the Yellow Sea, and for its fertile alluvial banks. Today, the river forms part of the border between North and South Korea and serves as water source for over 12 million people. On one of the larger islands near the coast, inbetween the beautiful sediment flows, we spot the international airport of Incheon (white-blue), the main airport in South Korea that is built on a piece of reclaimed land. A bridge connecting it to the city centre and harbour of Incheon, the second largest harbour in South Korea, is just visible by a thin line.
14/02/2017, Quanzhou, Fujian, China The 100 m false-colour image of 14 February 2017 shows us from north to south the city of Putian, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Taiwan to the east, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait in Fujian Province, China. Quanzhou, is Fujian's largest metropolitan region, with an area of 11,245 km² and was China's major port for foreign traders during the 11th through 14th centuries. Quanzhou proper lies on a spit of land between the estuaries of the Jin and Luo rivers as they flow into Quanzhou Bay on the Taiwan Strait. Its surrounding prefecture extends west halfway across the province and is hilly and mountainous.	100, Akashi Hyogo, Japan The 100 m false-colour image of 16 February 2017 shows us the Kansai region, in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The Kansai region is the cultural and historical heart of Japan. In the right part we can clearly see the city of Osaka, the capital city of the Osaka Prefecture. The second largest metropolitan area in Japan and among the largest in the world with over 19 million inhabitants. In the middle, we have the prefecture Hyogo with 2 coastlines on two seas: to the north, the Sea of Japan, to the south, the Seto Inland Sea. At the left we can see prefecture Okayama, it faces Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea and includes 90 islands in the sea.	30/09/2016, Vienna, Austria PROBA-V puts its weekly spotlight on the beautiful city of Vienna, the capital of Austria, visible in the northwestern part of the image. The city began as a settlement to the south of the meandering Danube, one of Europe’s longest rivers, but spans both sides of the river nowadays. In the southern part of the image we see Lake Neusiedl, a Central European lake straddling the Austrian–Hungarian border. The lake is mostly surrounded by reeds, serving as a habitat for wildlife and harvested in winter.	06/10/2016, Mokpo, South Korea Mokpo is a mid-size city (~250,000 inhabitants) in the southwest of South Korea and is part of the South Jeolla Province. It is a main gate to the country’s largest granary at the Honam Plain and has been a naval base during the Choson Dynasty (1392 – 1910). Further, it was the hometown of late South Korean president and Nobel Peace Prize 2000 recipient Kim Dae-Jung. The city is surrounded outside the coast by more than 1,400 islands, which provide fishing grounds and also protect the area from large typhoon and tsunami impacts. The 100 m image of 6 October 2016 shows Mokpo in the lower-right image part as a blue-grey area located at the Yeonsang River estuary. Furthermore, the image shows the scattered smaller and larger islands outside the coast, while an extensive area with large sediment concentrations extents further into the Yellow Sea in a bow shape.
29/04/2015, Panjin, China Panjin is a city in northeastern China, located at the Liaodong Bay. The city is home to about 1.5 million inhabitants. The 100 m image shows the city at the Liaodong Bay.	18/12/2014, Bohai Bay, China The Bohai Bay in China is the easternmost extension of the Yellow Sea and is also the southernmost sea on the Northern Hemisphere (at latitude 38-39oN) that is frequently covered with sea ice during winter. At the Bohai Bay several major ports are located, as is visible by the land extensions in the image. The bay contains considerable amounts of sediments and algae, which can be seen from the greenish colours.	25/04/2016, Moudjeria, Mauritania This image shows us part of Moudjeria and part of Magta-Lahjar. Moudjeria is a town and commune in the Tagant Region of southern-central Mauritania. Temperatures during the summer are among the highest in the world and can easily hit the 55° Celsius mark. Magta-Lahjar is a town and commune in the Brakna Region of southern Mauritania.	12/03/2016, Najran, Saudi Arabia This image shows us Najran, Province of Saudi Arabia, near the border with Yemen. Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom. It enjoys three different geographic landscapes, and they are: the oases, mountains, and desert at its eastside. The climate for Najran is a hot desert climate type, typical of the Arabian Peninsula. In the upper part of the image, we can see Wadi Al Dawasir a town in Najd, Saudi Arabia, in the Dawasir valley. The town is the homeland of the tribe of Al-Dawasir.
27/01/2016, San Juan, Argentina This image shows us San Juan, the capital city of the Argentine province of San Juan in the Cuyo region. Cuyo is the name given to the wine-producing, mountainous area of central-west Argentina. Cuyo has some of the most popular tourist attractions in Argentina and the highest mountain massifs in the Andes. The soil is arid and reddish, crossed by few rivers. Most of the rivers are fed by the thawing of snow on the peaks, and their volume of water increases considerably in spring.	12/04/2016, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The 100 m false-colour image of 12 April 2016 shows the Rio de Janeiro agglomeration in grey, with the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches visible as thin yellowish strikes. East of Rio, the Baía de Guanabara is recognised, while southwest of the city the Restinga de Marambaia – an area with coastal sandspit and tropical broadleaf forest – can be seen.	01/01/2016, Leipzig, Germany From 4 to 8 July 2016 GEO BON, the global initiative on biodiversity of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), organized its Open Science Conference in Leipzig, Germany. This edition of the conference focused on the targets and roadmap for "observing, monitoring, and managing biodiversity and related ecosystem services for 2020 and beyond". Products derived from PROBA-V will continue to be used to monitor biodiversity and help to assess the Essential Biodiversity Variables at global scale and thus contribute to GEO BON. Therefore, the city of Leipzig (in the right part of the image) is put into this week’s spotlight, amidst an amazing patchwork of agricultural fields (green) and lakes (dark blue – black), as captured in the daily synthesis false-colour of 1 January 2016. In the south-southeast, in red, two large coal mines stand out.	24/02/2016, Kenedy County, N America The 100 m false-colour image of 24 February 2016 shows Kenedy County, situated in the South of Texas, USA. It is one of the least populous counties in the United States and climate can be characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. Laguna Madre, situated in the middle right of the image is a long shallow, hypersaline algoon along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico, famous for a plethora of fish species, and home to sea turtles and dolphins.
01/01/2016, New York, USA The 100 m false-colour image of 1 January 2016 shows New York, USA in the centre of the image. At the lower right you can see the North Atlantic Ocean. The course of the Hudson River can be followed by the purple-red colour from the upper side of the image to the centre. New York City is the largest city of the United States of America, mainly due to the historical role in trade, finance, PR, art, and fashion. The city is called New York City to distinguish it from the State of New York, of which Albany is the capital.	11/05/2015, Venice, Italy The 100 m false-colour image of 11 May 2015 shows Venice, Italy. Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is sited on a group of 117 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by bridges. These are located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Beneath Venice, at the river mouth of the Po, you can find the city of Porto Tolle, also known for it's infamous coal power plant.	05/06/2015, Port of Antwerp, Belgium The 100 m false-colour image of 5 June 2015 shows a large part of Flanders, Belgium. The cities of Ghent (left), Antwerp (right) and Brussels (lower) are clearly visible, in purple colors. The course of the Westerschelde can be followed from the North Sea (left) to the harbor of Antwerp, in the heart of Europe. It is Europe’s thrid-largest seaport and ranks among the world’s top twenty.	21/06/2015, Las Vegas, USA The 100 m false-colour image of 21 June 2015 shows the city of Las Vegas, or simply "Vegas" with a nice view of Lake Mead, the largest water reservoir in the United States. Las Vegas is an internationally renowed major resort city known primarily for gambling, shopping, fine dining and nightlife and is the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Southern Nevada. On the right of the image, one can also see cut-outs of the Colorado river, responsible for beautiful sceneries of the Grand Canyon National park.
22/12/2014, Beijing, China Beijing is located in the agriculturally important North China Plain and bordered in the north by the mountains that are home to the world-famous Great Wall.	06/10/2014, Tianjin, China Tianjin is a metropolis in northern coastal China and one of the five national central cities of China, it's also the largest coastal city of China and an economic gateway to its mainland, particularly Beijing.	06/10/2014, Tangshan, China Tangshan is a largely industrial prefecture-level city in northeastern Hebei province, China. It has become known for the 1976 Tangshan earthquake which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and killed at least 255,000 residents. The city has since been rebuilt.	06/10/2014, Cangzhou, China Cangzhou is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hebei province, China. Cangzhou's urban center is a heavily industrial city but the city's administrative territory also includes strongly agricultural areas, and is well known in China for its Chinese jujubes (Chinese dates) and pear (widely known under the export name of Tianjin Ya Pear). The North China Oil Field is within Cangzhou City's jurisdiction. Cangzhou also encompasses a large fishing port and the coal-exporting Huanghua Harbour.
06/10/2014, Beijing, China Beijing is located in the agriculturally important North China Plain and bordered in the north by the mountains that are home to the world-famous Great Wall. Closer to the coast and in the close-ups on the left, we find Tianjin, the largest coastal city of the country and an economic gateway to China’s mainland, particularly Beijing. Two other cities are further shown in the close-ups: Tangshan, located further northeast and Cangzhou in the southwest.	08/03/2015, Dubai, United Arab Emirates The 100 m false-colour image of 8 March 2015 shows the Dubai coast with the well-known man-made Palm Tree Islands prominently visible in the centre. Further, the lower-right corner shows the alternating pattern of sand dunes and troughs, while the scattered bright green spots indicate irrigated fields.	17/09/2015, Almería, Spain The false-colour 100 m image of 17 September 2015 shows Almería city in the centre at the triangular-shaped coastal area. The greenhouse areas are visible by the white-grey colours. Nothwest of Almería, the course of the Rio Andarax can be followed by the dark-green colours.	09/02/2015, Mexico City, Mexico In the 100 m false-colour image of 9 Fevruary 2015, Mexico City's agglomeration and its detailed road structures are visible in the centre. In its surroundings, several snow-covered mountain peaks can be seen, with the Nevado de Taluca (4,690 m) and Popocatépetl volcanoes (5,426 m) showing up in the lower-left and lower-right corners, respectively.
11/10/2014, Macau, Hong Kong, China The 100 m image of 11 October 2014 shows the cities of Macau and Hong Kong. Macau is the world's most densely populated area, with 21,000 inhabitants per km². Both cities are located at the Zhujiang River Estuary, which is visible in the image centre. Macau is located at the estuary's left side, Hong Kong at the right side.	08/06/2015, Beijing, China Beijing is the capital of China and is the world's third largest city by population with about 22 million inhabitants. Further, the city is China's political, cultural, and educational centre. This 100 m false color image of 8 June 2015 shows the city agglomeration and its surroundings.	20/01/2015, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro is well-known for its annual carnival season. This celebration is largely organized by the inhabitants of the favelas and dates back to 1723. About 2 million people per day participate in the giant street parades. The PROBA-V 100 m image of January 20th, 2015 shows Rio de Janeiro located at the Baía Guanabara. At the bottom of the image, the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches can faintly be seen, with the large Parque National de Tijuca located west of it.	09/01/2015, South Africa, Cape of Good Hope Penguins are the well-known flightless birds with their characteristic tuxedo-like feather coloring. Although the Antarctic is their most recognized habitat, various penguin sorts have spread out over the southern hemisphere, with even some species living at the Galapagos Islands. One of the locations with substantial penguin populations is the Cape of Good Hope environment. Cape of Good Hope was once considered the border between the Atlantic and Indian Ocean and is the waypoint for shipping routes to the Far East and Australia. This 100 m image beautifully shows the Cape region, with Cape Town, Table Mountain, and Cape of Good Hope visible in the left part. The middle part of the image shows the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland mountain ranges.”