SPACEPHOTOS

Osaka Area, Honshu, Japan October 1993. Osaka, Japan’s third largest city with an estimated population of 2.5 million (1993) and Kobe, Japan’s sixth largest city are located along the northeast end of Osaka Bay at the eastern end of the Inland Sea. Osaka is located in the center of the image along the north side of Osaka Bay. Although Osaka and Kobe dominate the urban landscape (lighter colored areas), the Osaka Plain has many cities that coalesce into one large metroplex. The angular-looking islands and the peninsulas along the coast consist of shipping facilities and container handling terminals, all of which have been built on reclaimed land. The rectangular-shaped island (lower right) is Kansai International Airport, another complex that has been constructed on reclaimed land. Several rivers including the southwesterly flowing Yodo River (thin, dark, linear feature-upper left to center) are visible as they drain across the Osaka Plain and into the northeast side of Osaka Bay. The deep red colors (green vegetation) on this color infrared image show the extent of the forested, low mountains that almost completely encircle the large industrial and cultural metropolitan area