El Bibane Lagoon on the Tunisian coast
El Bibane Lagoon on the Tunisian coast. Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features El Bibane Lagoon on the eastern coast of Tunisia. The lagoon, which is 20 miles long, is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a sand bar.
According to NASA, fish grow to maturity in this protected nursery and then swim out to sea, making Bibane one of the best known fishing grounds in Tunisia. The lagoon also serves as an important breeding site for migratory birds. Tunisia is a country in Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, having a western border with Algeria (965 km) and south-eastern border with Libya (459 km) where the width of land tapers to the south-west into the Sahara. The country has north, east and complex east-to-north coasts including the curved Gulf of Gabès, which forms the western part of Africa’s Gulf of Sidra. Most of this greater gulf forms the main coast of Libya including the city of Sirte which shares its root name. El Bibane Lagoon on the Tunisian coast
The country’s geographic coordinates are 34°00′N 9°00′E. Tunisia occupies an area of 163,610 square kilometres, of which 8,250 are water. The principal and reliable rivers rise in the north of the country with a few notable exceptions from north-east Algeria and flow through the northern plain where sufficient rainfall supports diverse plant cover and irrigated agriculture.
The image was captured on October 25, 2020 by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station.
Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory
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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer
