Earth from Space - Image Description

STS036-151-95 Euboea Island and Athens, Greece March 1990
The historic city of Athens and nearby Euboea Island, also known as Evvoia Island, are visible in this near-vertical photograph. Athens, the largest city in Greece (brownish-tan area), is located on the Plain of Attica. At times the city has some of Europe's most polluted air. The city is the administrative, economic, transportation, and cultural center of Greece. Manufactures include oil refinery products; silk, wool, and cotton textiles; machine tools; steel mills; shipyards; food and beverage products; chemicals; pottery; printed materials; and carpets. Tourism is also a major industry. Athens supports a world-famous national library and numerous schools of archeology. Located east of Athens across the Petalion Gulf is Euboea Island, which is separated from mainland Greece by the Evripos Strait. The island is 90 miles (145 kilometers) long, 4 to 30 miles (6 to 48 kilometers) wide, and covers 1467 square miles (3800 square kilometers). On the island sheep, goats, and cattle are raised in the fertile valleys; olives, grapes, and wheat are grown; magnesite and lignite are mined; and marble is quarried.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.