Chile, Argentina and Uruguay
August 20, 2001
The above true color image of the south-central part of South America was acquired on March 27, 2000, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Terra spacecraft. A portion of the snow covered Andes Mountains in Chile and Argentina can be seen along the left-hand side of the image. The highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, Mt. Aconcagua, is located in this section of the Andes.
The Parana River can be seen near the center of the image as it cuts through northeastern Argentina, and the Uruguay River, to the east or right of the Parana River, travels along the border between Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Both rivers empty into the Rio de La Plata - the large brown bay at the lower right of the image. The sediment-laden waters of the Parana River and the Uruguay River contributes to the brownish color of the bay. Uruguay is to the north (above) the Rio de La Plata.
Adventurer Steve Fossett just ended his attempt for an around-the-world solo balloon flight by landing in southern Brazil near the border with Argentina and Uruguay. Because he experienced turbulence as he crossed the Andes, and due to the potential for icing problems and other concerns, he decided to bring down his balloon just east (right) of the Uruguay River, on the right-center of the above image.