bild

South America at night. Satellite image of city lights at night, centred on South America. North is at top. Bright areas mark dense urban populations. Most of South America is dark, with the dark areas marking undeveloped rural areas and uninhabited areas, such as the vast rainforests of the Amazon basin in the north, swamps and plains in the south, and mountains and glaciers in the Andes mountains along the western coast. The major cities are Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (centre right), Buenos Aires (lower centre) and the cities on the north-western coast. Lights are also seen in the Caribbean and Central America (top left). For this area in the day, see E070/563. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/PLANETOBSERVER)