bild

Asia at night, satellite image. North is towards top right. Yellow lights mark the major cities. Japan (far right), the most brightly lit country, has densely populated urban areas. The plateau of Tibet, mostly rural and sparsely populated, forms the dark patch at centre right. Above and right of Tibet is another dark patch, marking the rural areas and deserts of western China and Mongolia. The far north and the Indian and Pacific oceans are dark. India is seen, as well as eastern China, South-East Asia, the Malay Archipelago, and the cities of Russia and the central Asian states. It is evening in Africa and Europe (left). (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/PLANETARY VISIONS LTD)