Earth from Space - Image Description

STS078-732-053 Khios Island, Greece June 1996
Located in the eastern Aegean Sea just off the coast of western Turkey, the Greek island of Khios can be seen in this near-nadir view. Khios Island is 30 miles (48 km) long and 8 to 15 miles (13 to 24 km) wide and covers an area of 350 sq. miles (905 sq. km). The island is hilly, scenic, and fertile with a good climate. Khios produces olives, figs, and mastic and has marble quarries, lignite deposits, and sulfur springs. Khios is noted in antiquity for its claims as Homer's birthplace and for its school of epic poets, the Homeridae. The land visible at the left center and bottom left is part of the country of Turkey.

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