Point Roberts has become a ghost town during the pandemic

Point Roberts has become a ghost town during the pandemic Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Point Roberts, a small U.S. territory that is separated from the state of Washington by British Columbia.

Point Roberts is located just below the 49th parallel, the line of latitude that establishes the political boundary between the northwestern United States and Canada. 

The town’s economy is driven by tourists from Canada. However, the closure of the U.S.-Canada border in mid-March 2020 due to COVID-19 put a stop to  travel in and out of the coastal town.  North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth’s land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe.

According to NASA, the halt in routine border crossings to mainland Washington, just 25 miles away, temporarily ending previously routine trips by the town’s residents to schools and medical care.

The ferry terminal that is visible in the image connects two Canadian points – the town of Tsawwassen and Vancouver Island. 

Emergency ferry services have been available from the Point Roberts marina to Bellingham, Washington. The border is expected to remain closed until at least June 21, 2021.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer