Visible in this MERIS image is Spain, which occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula. The long mountain chain of the Pyrenees, extending about 400 km from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea, forms the border with France on the north.

The large, almost treeless central plateau is the Meseta Central. With an average elevation of about 600 meters above sea level, it is divided by irregular mountain ranges, or sierras, including the Guadarrama, Gredos and Toledo mountains.

Technical Information:
Instrument: MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS)
Date of Acquisition: 23 March 2002
Orbit number: 306
Instrument features: Full resolution image (300-meter resolution).
With its 300-meter resolution imaging capabilities and outstanding radiometric accuracy, MERIS will help scientists and environmental agencies to understand better the causes and consequences of deforestation, erosion, river pollution and other environmental threats.