SPACEPHOTOS

The location of the conurbation of Delhi and New Delhi can be identified (slightly left and below center) in this near-vertical view as the grayish-looking area (street patterns are barely discernible) along the west bank of the meandering, southward flowing Yamuna River (thin, dark line, bottom center to left edge). The extensive metropolitan area consists of the two cities within one. Delhi, the older city with its walled forts, mosques, and chaotic markets, is located in the northern part of this large urban area (population over 10 million), while New Delhi, India’s national capital that was developed by the British during the first quarter of the 20th century, is more modern and spacious and is located south of but adjacent to Delhi. The regional significance of these two cities was the result of their geographic location. The cities are situated in a narrow corridor of relatively flat land that included all the land routes from northwest India to the northern Gangetic Plains. The climate regime of the region is semiarid for most of the year, except for the brief period when the wet summer monsoon can provide substantial rainfall but then only for very limited periods.