SPACEPHOTOS

Rio Araguaia, Brazil July 1997 The northeasterly flowing Rio Araguaia (dark, linear feature), one of many rivers that drain the Amazon Basin in east central Brazil, is easily traced laterally across this color infrared image. The color infrared picture (green vegetation is shown as various reddish hues) not only shows the main channel of the river and numerous sand bars (white surfaces within the river), but forested tributary streams are also visible as uniform looking reddish swaths that connect to the main channel of the Rio Araguaia. Two low-lying, densely vegetated swampy areas with numerous small lakes (dark features) can be identified near the center of the image and also near the southwest edge of the scene. The lighter looking terrain, some with angular-looking, large field patterns, are areas that have been cleared for farming or cattle ranching. The Brazalian state of Para is west of the river and Tocantins state is east of the river