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  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS061-E-26010 Date: Oct. 2019
Geographic Region: SOCIETY ISLANDS
Feature: TAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA, AFAAHITI, TO'AHOTU, PORT PHAETON

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This photograph, taken by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station, provides a glimpse of the settlements along the shores of the coral reef-ringed island of Tahiti. Pictured here is the Isthmus of Taravao, a narrow strip of land that connects the two ancient volcanoes-Tahiti-Nui and Tahiti-Iti-and the villages that line the coast.

Tahiti is part of an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean called the Society Islands, one of five archipelagos that make up French Polynesia. Of the 118 islands and atolls, Tahiti is the largest, with approximately 70 percent of the nation's population. This island's rugged topography and dense rainforest has led most of its inhabitants to live along the coastline.

As with many islands in the South Pacific, the economy is driven in large part by tourism, so resorts and hotels have been built up along the coast. A constant environmental issue that Tahitians face is the rise of sea level and other climate-driven effects on coastal systems. The loss of shoreline from coastal flooding and erosion is a significant threat to low-lying communities and islands, and they could eventually have serious implications for Tahiti.

Find more stories about our changing oceans and coasts in Earth Observatory's sea level rise collection. Learn more about astronaut photography in our new video feature Picturing Earth: Window on the World.

 
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Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 445k
Mission: ISS061  
Roll - Frame: E - 26010
Geographical Name: SOCIETY ISLANDS  
Features: TAHITI, FRENCH POLYNESIA, AFAAHITI, TO'AHOTU, PORT PHAETON  
Center Lat x Lon: 17.8S x 149.3W
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 25
 
Camera: N8
 
Camera Tilt: 24   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 800  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: NW   The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:   Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number:  
 
Date: 20191031   YYYYMMDD
Time: 230925   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 19.2S  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 148.4W  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 279   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 224   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 67   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:  
Water Views:  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views:  
City Views:  
Photo is not associated with any sequences


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