La Pampa

Algiers

Ariquemes

Tibesti

Three Rivers

Pilanesberg

Fish River

Indigirka

El Hank

Timbuctu

Gilf Kebir

Lomsak

Heavy rural populations farm the extensive mid-levels of this landscape, but the hills and mountains are left fairly pristine. The striking heart-shaped hill in the upper middle is Phu Kradung, a favorite hiking mountain for young Thais – with restaurants and tented accommodations on the plateau (a 9 km walk). On the left is the… Read more »

Escarpments

The geometry of East Africa’s rift troughs seemed impossibly complex, until Shuttle-based elevation data allowed such views as this in 2005. From the north of Kenya to central Zimbabwe, rift trends cross and pass under each other like a roller coaster. Colors range from torrid down low to the moderate greens of the most temperate… Read more »

Far to the East

The spatial isolation of Japan and Korea is clear from this rendition of elevations stretching from Taiwan to Kamchatka. The mainland is marked by the courses of the Yangtze River on the left and the Amur River on the right. Major volcanoes are obvious in North Korea, Honshu and Hokkaido, and on the many island… Read more »

Balkan Parts

Centering on the lower Danube with its feathery tributaries, this palette was designed to isolate the tallest hills while staying fairly quiet and a bit on the sad side. Low seashores are made indistinct, and the gray tones are surprisingly readable in distinguishing the degree of local dissection. This is a topographically complex part of… Read more »

Newzie

Wabash

Italia