Wildfires Burn Along South Africa’s Southern Coast Today’s Image of the Day comes thanks to the NASA Earth Observatory and features a look at wildfires burning along South Africa’s southern coast.

The local South African government requested the photos be taken as part of the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters program, which provides assistance during natural disasters.

This particular section of coastline is located near the South African cities of Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.

The Outeniqua Mountains stretch across the top of the photo.It is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) of coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini (former Swaziland); and it surrounds the enclaved country of Lesotho. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World, and the most populous country located entirely south of the equator. South Africa is a biodiversity hotspot, with a diversity of unique biomes and plant and animal life.

This image was taken by an astronaut on board the International Space Station.

—

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: NASA Earth Observatory