Australia's Wheatbelt region from space

Australia’s Wheatbelt region from space Today’s Video of the Day from the European Space Agency (ESA) features a satellite view of the Wheatbelt region in Australia.

Wheat was the main agricultural product during Australia’s early development. 

Located in the southwestern part of the continent, the Wheatbelt stretches across  160,000 square kilometers. North Bannister is a small town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 94 kilometres (58 mi) south-southeast of the state capital, Perth along Albany Highway between Armadale and Williams .

There is an area that once was a  diverse ecosystem, reduced when clearing began in the 1890s with the removal of plant species such as eucalypt woodlands and mallee, is now home to around 11% of Australia’s critically endangered plants.

Also there is a large number of nationally threatened birds that reside in the Wheatbelt, including the endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoo and the vulnerable malleefowl. The Wheatbelt covers over a range of ecosystems and, as a result, there are a range of industries operating in the region. Australia’s Wheatbelt region from space as seen above in the video also shows the differnt feautres of the satelitte views of the terrain.

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: European Space Agency