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| Lloyd Reeds Map Collection |
| Flying Camera Satellite Images 2002 |
Flying Camera Satellite Images 2002
ROME: THE ETERNAL CITY (Flying Camera Calender, January 2002) N 41o
54', E 012o 32' Rome lies between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Apennines, positioned atop a chain of young volcanoes which stretch from northwest to southeast for a distance of 200 km. The Tiber River cuts through layers of soft Tertiary tuff, thus carving out the Seven Hills of the city from the surrounding volcanic rocks. Even more breathtaking than its surroundings is the city itself. The city center (in the "gusset" between the Tiber and Aniene Rivers) has retained its original flair. Nowhere else in the world do Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Modern Era blend to form a harmonious whole as they do in Rome. And in spite of the fact that the metropolis houses a population of nearly 3 million inhabitants and annually hosts millions of tourists who arrive via the "Leonardo da Vinci" airport or the "Stazione Termini" train station (center left). Ancient Rome, which, according to legend, was founded by Romulus on April 12, 753 B.C., can best be experienced on the Monte Palatino (to the right of Tiber Island). An impressive collection of art and artifacts dating from Etruscan Rome, whose kings ruled until about 510 B.C., is housed in the Villa Giulia Museum, located in the Monte Pincio park (upper left of center). Republican Rome, ruled by consuls until 30 B.C., comes alive on the Forum Romanum at the end of Via Appia Antica, which led to Brindisi (green diagonal, lower third), and in the Temple of Vesta (to the right of Tiber Island). Vestiges of Imperial Rome (until 576 A.D.) can be found in the city center in the Imperial Forum, the Palatine, the Colosseum, the Baths of Caracalla, etc. (above the Forum Romanum). In the early Middle Ages (about the 8th century) the worldly reign of the Church was established, and Rome became the papal seat (S. Giovanni in Laterano, to the lower right of the Colosseum, the Vatican, center, to the left of the Tiber, and the Castel Sant'Angelo, or Hadrian's Tomb, are also readily identifiable). During the High Renaissance, Rome progressed to become one of the most prominent centers of artistic activity with sculptors such as Michelangelo, Raphael and Bramante, as well as Bernini in later times, who designed churches, piazzas and fountains, such as Piazza Navona (in a bend in the Tiber River to the right of the Vatican). In 1871 Rome became the capital of the united Kingdom of Italy. Buildings dating
from this period are very grandiose, such as is the Victor Emmanuel Monument (to
the upper right of Tiber Island). Modern Rome is characterized by buildings such
as the white oval of the Olympia Stadium to the left of the Tiber River.
LIFE ON THE ICE EDGE : SISIMIUT (HOLSTEINSBORG) (Flying Camera Calender, February 2002) N 66o 56', W
053o 40' With the total area of nearly 2,200,000 square kilometers, Greenland is the Earth's largest island. Approximately 85% of its land area is covered by a massive ice sheet with thicknesses ranging to more than 3 km. Ice-free areas and permanent human settlements are found only along a few stretches of southern and western coasts influenced by the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream and the Irminger Current. The oldest settlements were established by Eskimos, who refer to themselves as the Inuit (the people). Beginning around 2500 B.C. the Inuit crossed over the islands of the Canadian Arctic and migrated to Greenland. The first European settlers in Greenland were the Vikings, who arrived in 982. The name Greenland was given to the island by the Norsemen because of the good sheep grazing land it afforded. Following the decline of Norse settlement in the 14th century and the loss of contacts to smaller whaling stations in the region, the first Danish settlements were established in the early 18th century (1721, missionary Hans Egede). Today Greenland is largely autonomous and withdrew from the European Union in 1985. Sisimiut is located slightly north of the Arctic Circle on the western coast of Greenland, which is characterized by a magnificent landscape of rugged fjords, peninsulas and islands. The oldest settlements date from the "Saqqaq culture" (approximately 2000 to 1500 B.C.) and the "Dorset I culture (approximately 500 B.C. to 300 A.D.). A Dutch whaling station and a trading post were the predecessors of the town as it is today. The name Holsteinsborg stems from a mission outpost established by the Danish Count Holstein in 1759. Today Sisimiut has a population of more that 5,300 and is an important fishing and fish processing, industrial as well as educational center. Primarily shrimp, prawns, salmon and cod are processed for export, and seal, walrus and whale are, in addition, processed for the domestic market. The center of the old town, with its semicircular pattern of streets (lower, right center) and the former mission house (now the tourist information office), a museum and the "Blue Church" built in 1775 can be seen to the lower right of this image. The dark building situated to the right of the Blue Church is the new church constructed in 1926; the cemetery is located further to the right. On the other side of the small channel, dock and shipyard facilities are visible (all lower right). The gymnasium, library, dental clinic, school and city administrative offices (upper left) as well as the sports fields (center) and the Industrial Arts and Crafts School are further prominent landmarks. Streets have been constructed to follow the contours of the surrounding landscape. The basement rock of this region, reshaped by glacial activity, primarily comprises 1.8- to 2.7-billion-year-old gneiss. Further to the south, near Nuuk (Godthab), the capital of Greenland, 4-billion-year-old rocks have been found, which are some of the oldest on Earth. QINGHAI LAKE IN SOUTHWESTERN CHINA (Flying Camera Calender, March 2002) N
36o 50', E 100o 10' Located on the northern slopes of the Himalayan mountain range and with a surface area of 4,573 square kilometres and an average depth of 25 m, Qinghai Lake is the largest inland and salt-water lake in China. The lake lies in a basin at an altitude of 3,260 m, surrounded by mountain chains with elevations ranging from 4,500 to 5,200 m and covered with ice and snow even in summer. These are the Qinghai Nanshan Mountain range to the south, the Datong Shan mountains to the north and the Daban Shan range to the northeast. Vegetation zones clearly follow altitude levels, above the lake level consisting predominantly of semiarid steppe grassland vegetation, which gives way to high dune areas to the east. Above an altitude of 3,500 m, green tones indicate the transition to subalpine vegetation cover. The climate in this highland region is continental with long, dry and cold winters in which temperatures range from -15 to -20 C and short, cool summers with average temperatures of 10 to 15 C. Precipitation varies by 380 mm annually; two-thirds of this amount falls from May to August. Unusually high levels of sunshine duration of as much as 3,600 hours are likely one of the reasons for the relatively high evaporation rates (1,780 mm) found there. As a result of its marginal position in the People's Republic of China, its altitude, climate, and the correspondingly thin layer of vegetation, the entire region is only sparsely populated. Those who live there are almost exclusively nomads, who lead their herds of cattle, yaks, sheep and goats into the high mountains in spring and early summer in search of grazing grounds among the alpine vegetation and return to the lake in mid- to late August before winter sets in. Agricultural activity is possible only close to the lakeshore and through the use of irrigational technologies during the short vegetation period. But the excessive exploitation of natural vegetation and, in particular, water resources, evident even in this remote region, have led to a decline in the ecological quality of the area and concomitant drops in sea-water levels. THE WONDROUS ROCK CHURCH OF BET GIORGIS IN LALIBELA (Flying Camera Calender, April 2002) N
12o 02', E 39o 02' The landscape of Ethiopia is actually not typical of the African continent, since a quarter of the country has altitudes of more than 2,000 m. The African Rift Valley divides the highlands of Ethiopia into two distinct sections, the Western and the Eastern Highlands, and table mountains and deep canyons are characteristic of the landscape. The Wayna Dega, literally "Grape Highlands", lie at altitudes between 1,700 and 2,500 m and are the most important populated and intensively cultivated agricultural areas. The adverse effects of deforestation and soil erosion threaten to destroy this region, which was covered with dense forests in the past. Ethiopia (from the Greek) means "land of the black people", who are more graceful and "More European" "up here" than are the black Africans of the lowland areas. In the second half of the 1st millennium B.C. immigrants from South Arabia peopled the area. The blending of Cushitic and South Arabian cultures is characteristic of the first dynasties active there. Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia during the reign of the Aksumite emperors in the 4th century A.D. Ties between the Ethiopian Church and the Coptic Christian Church headquartered in Egypt remained strong until recent days. The patriarch of Alexandria always appointed an Egyptian monk as the archbishop (abuna) of the Ethiopian Church. Centuries of ruling dynasties by emperors and princes ensured the continuation of a feudalistic social order until Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed (1974) and power was seized by the military. Over the course of the years, many culturally and ethnically diverse groups have been integrated into the state. The current democratic government strives to provide political and economic stability and to place the interests of all members of Ethiopian society on equal footing. In the course of the country's history, the capital was moved southward several times: Aksum, Lalibela, Gonder and Addis Ababa. The village of Lalibela (2,360 m) is named after the king of the same name (approximately 1167 to 1207) and contains a number of churches hewn from solid rock in many different styles. Perhaps the idea which is said to have prompted King Lalibela to undertake this project was to create a symbolic Jerusalem, in homage to the holy city which had been under the rule of the Sultan Saladin and continuously more difficult for pilgrims to visit since 1187. The monolithic rock churches may have originated from caves used by Christians for worship purposes, or perhaps rock tombs provided the inspiration for the form of the buildings. The churches were hewn from the façade of a rock face and then chiseled out from top to bottom, leaving the entire block free-standing. Rubble resulting from the shaping of the interior was transported out through narrow openings in the façade. The soft, red volcanic tuff of the region is well suited to this style of construction. The Church of Saint George is likely the most significant of these rock-hewn monolithic churches in the shape of a Greek cross. Three equilateral Greek crosses echo this motif on the patterns of the roof. The general radial floor plan of an Orthodox church, comprising four arms of approximately equal length and topped off by a dome at their apex, is found only here. SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA: MORPHOLOGY TRIUMPHS OVER THE DRAWING BOARD (Flying Camera Calender, May 2002) N 34o 20', W 95o 05' Oklahoma comprises that part of the Midwestern United States which lies within the prairie belt and the High Plains in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains. In this region broad expanses of grassland were plowed up in the 1920's in order to plant grain. After several years of severe drought, in the spring of 1934 violent dust storms blew the fertile topsoil, no longer anchored by the roots of the grass which once grew there, away, at times as far as the Atlantic seaboard. Thousands of farmers lost their sources of livelihood and, disparagingly referred to as "Okies", were forced to move to other areas of the country in order to try and make a living for themselves and their families. Although the southeastern corner of Oklahoma is characterized primarily by its hilly landscapes and receives higher levels of precipitation than do the plains areas, measures have nonetheless been instituted to prevent the occurrence of similar catastrophes again in the future. The blue, irregularly shaped surfaces seen here are reservoirs built in recent decades. Among these are Wister Lake (upper edge), where a state park has also been established, and below that - from east to west - Broken Bow Lake, Pine Creek Reservoir, and big Hugo Lake, named for the city of Hugo situated on its southwestern edge. These man-made lakes were formed by damming up rivers which drain into the Red River to the south (bottom). Due to the only slight fall of the land, the river meanders and winds through its catchment basin, ultimately flowing into the Mississippi north of Baton Rouge. At the same time, the Red River forms the border to the southern neighboring state of Texas, one of the few states in the USA not surveyed using a system of meridians and parallels. Curving land shapes (center and top) reflect the geologic structure of the region, mainly the western Ouachita Mountains, which join with the Ozark Plateau further to the south. In the Cross Mountains (lower left) on the Arkansas border, these uplands reach an altitude of approximately 900 m. Geologic upfolds and downfolds alternate, and harder rocks are carved out of their surrounding rock layers through the workings of weathering and erosion. The anticline of the Kiamichi Mountains is visible at the center of the image, the Winding Stair mountains lie to the northeast and the Choctaw Fault to the northwest. These strikingly prominent surface structures have led to the implementation of surveying systems other than the rectangular system of surveys generally employed in the American Midwest and West (Township and Range Survey System). Here the dividing lines between farms and ranches, the course of roads, etc., have been more frequently adapted to local surface structures. THE "BAND DES BUNDES" (Flying Camera Calender, June 2002) N 52o
31', E 13o 22' Originally, the Spreebogen, a bend in the Spree River which comprises part of the Tiergarten district and is now the site of the seat of the German federal government, was located outside the city walls of Berlin. In the middle of the 19th century construction began on the site; the Reichstag with the Königsplatz, or King's Square, the Victory Column and the legendary Kroll Opera were built there. In the years following the war, the Spreebogen formed part of the greenbelt areas of the Tiergarten Park and grew to be an important recreation center and stage for various types of festivals. Until 1989, the areas was characterized by its proximity to the Berlin Wall (black line), but today new buildings and construction sites are commonplace: The "Band des Bundes" (literally: "ribbon of the federation") comprises a complex of several buildings running in an east-west direction, connecting the two sides of the Spree River in Berlin and symbolically joining the formerly divided country. The most prominent of these builldings is by far the Federal Chancellery, which, with its Chancellor's Park, extends to the western bank of the Spree River. Further to the south, the "House of World Cultures" is visible with its gracefully curving roof, which has earned the building the nickname of the "pregnant oyster". Across from the Federal Chancellery (to the southeast) is located the Paul Löbe Building, which serves, among others, as a venue for Bundestag committee meetings. The easternmost building in the "Band des Bundes" is the Marie Elisabeth Lüders Building (under construction), situated on the other side of the Spree River. The recently completed Federal Press Office building lies further to the north. The Reichstag, its glass dome newly redesigned and reconstructed under the aegis of Norman Forster, is located directly to the south of the Paul Löbe Building. The drab sandy square in front of the Reichstag is the historic Platz der Republik (Square of the Republic, formally the Königsplatz). Next to the new government district and the Spree River as well as the shipping canal, the tracks of the suburban and main-line railways (which run parallel to the Spree River) are particularly prominent. These railways point to the old Lehrter city railway station as well as to the construction site of the new Lehrter Bahnhof (center), which is to become the largest interchange station for train routes in Europe. In stark contrast, Berlin's oldest remaining railway terminal, the Hamburger Bahnhof, dating from 1846 and now used as a museum which houses a variety of collections, is situated directly on the canal. The red-roofed buildings of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology are visible on the other side of the canal. In the near future, the surroundings of these new government buildings are to be augmented by grassy park-like areas. The construction of a Citizen's Forum is also in the planning stages. Park benches, a café as well as an information center are designed to facilitate interaction between German citizens and their parliamentarians. MOUNT ETNA ON SICILY (Flying Camera Calender, July 2002)
N 37o 40', E 14o 50' Mount Etna, rich in mythology and referred to by Sicilians as Mongibello or La Montagna, is the largest active volcano in Europe, an explosive stratovolcano with an altitude of approximately 3,263 m above sea level. Low levels of continuous volcanic activity have been recorded since time immemorial and are repeatedly interrupted by violent, short, and frequently explosive eruptions. In addition to a system of primary craters near the summit, Etna is primarily characterized by numerous smaller craters (bocche) which dot its flanks. The development of these parasitic craters is also typical of the most recent eruption, which took place in July of 2001. The lava masses flowing from these craters put people who live on and from the mountain at danger over a period of weeks. Further violent eruptions, lasting from July 19 to 23, spewed out clouds of ash which were visible high up in the atmosphere. From space the eruption cloud was able to be traced far to the southeast of the island. Despite its unpredictability, Mount Etna and its surrounding areas are, as are many volcanoes throughout the world, heavily populated. The slopes of the volcano are farmed and cultivated to an altitude of approximately 1,000 m above sea level, the mountain is easily accessible by car and is also a popular winter sport resort area which can be reached by cable car. The 2001 eruption produced surprisingly little damage to life or property, but has once again demonstrated man's inability to control the workings of Nature. In spite of the measures taken to limit the extent of the possible damage, in particular, part of the cable car transportation system and several houses were destroyed. The city of Nicolosi remained unscathed although it had been threatened by the eruptive activity of the volcano. This image was taken using the "Moderate Resolution Imaging Instrument" (MODIS), a 36-channel 250-m-pixel spectrometer, which scans the earth's surface within the space of one to two days. MODIS was brought into orbit on December 18, 1999, by the TERRA (EOS AM-1) satellite. The German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) receives data from this satellite daily and processes various data products for interested users. WESTERN ADEN PENINSULA (Flying Camera Calender, August 2002) N
12o 47', W 44o 59' With the opening of the Suez Canal, the natural harbor situated between the volcanic peninsulas of Little Aden and Aden on the southwestern Arabian Peninsula advanced to become the pivotal point of British (capture of Aden in 1839) trade in the region. The population of the area rapidly grew as a result of the influx of migrants from the Yemeni hinterlands, Somalia, Egypt and India, quickly filling the side valley and coastal settlements emanating from the volcanic crater of Jebel Shamsan (551 m) with villages and military posts. At the beginning of the 1960's, Aden (peninsula and suburbs) was one of the busiest ports in the world. All this changed abruptly with the ultimate withdrawal of the British "East of Aden" in 1967, the closing of the Suez Canal and Aden's role as the capital of the hermetically sealed "People's Democratic Republic of Yemen". The northern Yemen Arab Republic established its own port for sea-going vessels at Al Hudaydah, thus effectively eliminating Aden as a significant harbor on shipping routes leading past the Cape of Good Hope. The unification of both Yemeni states in 1990 released Aden from its position of isolation. In spite of Aden's official status as "economic capital of Yemen" and its free port, many central government and commercial functions were eventually transferred to the political capital San'a'g in the years following the 1994 civil war. The inhabitants of Aden are therefore searching for new economic perspectives in the fields of port traffic, industry and tourism. The city quarter of At-Tawahi and the harbor area of Ma'allah, further to the east, are divided by the prominent ridge of the Jebel Tawahi (lower half). This ridge comprises part of the heavily eroded volcanic nappes (lavas, tuffs, ashes) which extend to the east and toward the coast. These dry and hot regions (average annual temperatures of 29o C and average annual precipitation of 40 mm) are home to very little natural vegetation; trees must be irrigated. A western breakwater provides protection for the former passenger harbor with its red-rooofed disembarkation building, "Steamer Point", from which tourists went ashore during the British imperial era. The seat of the governor of Aden is located further to the west. During the British colonial era in Aden, At-Tawahi was settled largely by unskilled laborers ("coolies"), with numerous unplanned settlements build on the slope by "squatters". The wharehouses of the (former) state-run trading organization as well as military installations are also readily visible around the fort located to the northwest (upper right). The coral sand beaches of "Gold Mohur" and "Elephant Bay" and their hotels form the southwestern edge. Shark nets ensure that vacationers can enjoy undisturbed relaxation and beach pleasure year round. THE VOLGA RIVER: CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE DIVIDE (Flying Camera Calender, September 2002) N 51o 30', E 46o 05' Above (to the north of) the Saratov dam, the Volga River flows into a wide artificial river bed, thus forming one of the most striking landscape features in the region. The nature of the contrast between the west-bank upland areas and the east-bank low plains can only be recognized indirectly, on the basis of the types of forestation above the western bank and variations in relief. By contrast, the climatic differences resulting from marked drops in the availability of precipitation are unmistakably visible: the woods and swamp vegetation along the confluents of the Volga River stand in sharp contrast to individually irrigated parcels of land or to the non-irrigated fields to the east. Steppes extend much further to the north in this region. The Volga River forms a prominent landscape divide along its middle course which visibly distinguishes it from the drier inner regions of the continent. The low plains to the east of the Volga River formed part of the Volga German Autonomous Socialist Republic until World War II. This region has been cultivated and developed by small farmers since the late 18th century, and was collectivized and divided into huge field units as part of the land reorganization programs instituted during the Soviet era. Situated on the west and east banks of the Volga River, the cities of Saratov and Engels are connected to each other by a bridge (upper center). Saratov (population 881,00) was, due to its armaments industries, a "closed city" until a few years ago. Today, the city characterized by its cosmopolitan and almost Latin flair, as seen in particular in the former Deutsche Stra e (German Street), which has been redesigned as a pedestrian zone. Since the 1930's, a series of dams and reservoirs have been constructed along the Volga River for the purpose of creating hydroelectric power, in order to regulate the flow of the river as well as designed to provide water supplies to the large industrial cities and, in particular, to the irrigation systems in the region at the same time. However, the Saratov reservoir, covering a surface area of 1,850 square kilometers, has also led to a series of adverse effects: increased water evaporation rates over broad expanses of the reservoirs reduces the volume and velocity of the river's discharge, resulting in reductions in oxygen content and increased levels of pollutants in the river's water. BOCK ISLAND, RESTING PLACE FOR CRANES (Flying Camera Calender, October 2002) N 54o 26', E 13o 02' This image demonstrates approximately how this impressive landscape might appear from the perspective of the cranes who circle over the countryside before landing in the shallow inlets near Bock Island. The West Pomeranian Bodden National Park, with a total area of 805 square kilometers, comprises one of the most important resting places for cranes in central Europe. Each year in the fall, thousands of cranes stop here while on their way from their nesting areas in the high northern latitudes to their wintering grounds in southern Spain and North Africa. These shallow-water areas (light blue to white), rich in animal life and known as "Windwatt", as well as nearby fields on the mainland (patchwork structures) in the vicinity of Klausdorf (lower edge) offer these migratory birds rich feeding grounds. The history of the formation of this multiform coastal landscape region, characterized primarily by its shallow marine inlets (or Bodden), dates as far back as the last ice age. As a result of the melting of huge ice masses approximately 6,000 years ago, water levels rose in the Baltic Sea and reached levels as we know them today. In the process landmasses were flooded, leaving only a few higher lying areas visible as islands. Since that time the actions of wind and waves have shaped coastal areas in a continuous formation process. These dynamic processes erode land from regions such as the Darss peninsula or the north of the island of Hiddensee and deposit the same material along the coast of Bock Island as well as at the southern tip of Hiddensee, known as Geller Spit (upper right). In this protected nature reserve, human activity is not permitted on the uninhabited island of Bock of the "Kleiner Werder", its western outlying area. The adjoining coastal waters are used for fishing and shipping. The approximately 1,600-hectare-large island is separated from the mainland by the narrow Barth Channel. From the south the Stralsund Channel passes into the Prohner Wiek and the Vierendehl Channel (water areas in lower right quarter). Near the small harbor of Barhöft, these waterways narrow and join to form the Barhöft Channel, which flows between the eastern tip of Bock Island and the Geller Spit, directly into the open Baltic Sea. AUSTRALIA - A CONTINENT OF MARGINAL SETTLEMENTS (Flying Camera Calender, November 2002) S 26o, E 133o The continent of Australia and the island of Tasmania convey the impression of vast isolated expanses. Land bridges linking Australia to the neighboring continents of Asia and Antarctica no longer exist. A mere 19 million people live in an area 7.7 million square kilometers in size, most tending toward cities and settlements in the southeast and southwest of the continent. 85% of the population lives in major urban centers. By contrast, the first peoples to settle the continent, the Aborigines, who took possession of the continent in several waves more than 40,000 years ago after arriving via a land bridge linked at the time to its northern edge, prudently and equally distributed their population of approximately 300,000 inhabitants throughout the continent. As highly specialized hunters and gatherers, the greatest accomplishments of the individual tribes were founded on their ability to adapt to the surrounding hostile environment. The geographic location of the continent as it straddles the Tropic of Capricorn (23o 27' S of the Equator) suggests comparisons to the Sahara and immediately underscores the challenges presented by this inhospitable terrain to the people who attempt to live from its fruits and resources. Modern image-processing techniques provide us with a cloud-free view of a landmass which has been settled only on its margins. 5 million square kilometers of inland areas, far distant from large metropolitan centers and which have begun to be developed only within the last 200 years following the arrival of Europeans there, are referred to as the "bush" or the "outback" by Australians. The Nullarbor Plain, its name synonymous with the sparse vegetation it supports, is prominent in the southern stretches of the continent along the Great Australian Bight. Heavily indented coastlines in the east give way to a broad band of desert areas and salt lakes along the southern coastal rim of Australia, which, in turn, extended to the tropical greenery of its northern expanses. In the southeast, the only river system of significance on the continent, comprising the Murray River to the south and the Darling River flowing from the north, is visible -- a true lifeline for the settlement and agricultural development of the region. The total impression made by Australia is that of a sterile rock landscape, its higher points (Mount Kosciusko, 2,228 m in the southeast) having been subjected to long periods of weathering and erosion throughout geologic time. Nonetheless, nearly all of the lines visible follow the contours of Precambrian to Paleozoic mountainous structures and, in part, their roots. It is precisely in such areas that Europeans discovered mineral ores or found bituminous coal close to the Earth's surface. The discovery of iron ore in the Hamersley Range in Western Australia is one of the more spectacular examples of the discovery and exploitation of natural resources. Nowadays natural resources and their uses, which, among others, formed the basis for Japan's astonishing economic growth, are viewed in a very different light. In the wide-ranging areas of the Outback, the hinterland far distant from high-tech metropolises such as Sydney, broad expanses are set aside as national parks or nature reserves and are, in part, administered by descendants of the Aborigines. NÖRDLINGEN (Flying Camera Calender, December 2002) N 48o
51', E 10o 29' A nearly perfectly circular basin, the Nördlingen Ries, lies nestled in the Swabian and Franconian Jura close to the centre of a triangle with apices in the cities of Munich, Stuttgart and Nuremburg. Approximately 15 million years ago, a cosmic body, an asteroid, impacted the Earth and created a deep crater there, which is now primarily filled with lacustrine deposits, thus giving the Nördlingen Ries its gently rolling, flat character. The fertile soils of the Ries are important farming areas. In stark contrast to the fields, the forest-covered edges of the crater tower over the floor of the Ries to a height of 200 meters. Due to the form of the morphological lowlands surrounding the crater, several old trade routes cross the hilly terrain of the Swabian and Franconian Juba here. Its soils prized for their fertility, the Ries was settled early in time. Even before the year 1200, Nödlingen was granted market rights and later received its town charter, eventually gaining the status of a free imperial city in 1215 during the reign of Hohenstaufen king Frederick II. As the only city in a predominantly Ries, Nördlingen played a significant role as a regional marketplace and was also an important center for the loden, linen and cloth weaving industries as well as for the tanning and dying trades. First historical mention of the Whitsun fair was made in 1219, a trade fair which symbolized the economic strength and political significance on Nördlingen well into the 16th century. The 13th-century limts of Nördlingen follow the lines traced by an inner oval ring of streets. Its city walls, built in the 14th century and repeatedly fortified throughout the years, still encompass the picturesque old city and form the backdrop for a surrounding greenbelt area. Construction of the centrally located Church of St. George, the largest German late Gothic hall church, and of its 90-m-high tower known as the "Daniel" was completed next to the market square by the burghers of Nördlingen around 1519. The city flourished for centuries, but all this ended with the beginning of the Thirty Years' War. In 1634, the Protestant city was besieged amd bombarded by 33,000 imperial Catholic troops for three weeks before finally surrendering. As a result of impoverishment and plagues, the number of inhabitants dropped from 8,790 to 4,350 during the war years. The city rapidly lost its former glory and dozed on as a sleepy little country town during the following centuries. In 1802/02 the free imperial city of Nördlingen lost its independence and passed to Bavaria. It was not until the 20th century that the city began to grow to the south and the east beyond its old city walls; in 1939 the population of the city again reached pre-Thirty Years' War levels. Through the establishment of numerous new industries, Nördlingen has grown to be the most important industrial center in northern Swabia and, with its approximately 21,000 inhabitants, attained the status of chief administrative town for its surrounding district in 1972.
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