View from Space of British Virgin Islands.

This NASA aerial view of the British Virgin Islands was just released by the Earth Observatory.

Here is the description:
‘Of the British Virgin Islands, the largest is Tortola, roughly 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide and 19 kilometers (14 miles) long. Tortola’s origins are volcanic, and the island consists of a chain of rugged hills. With an elevation over 500 meters, the island’s highest point, Mt. Sage, is also the highest point in the British Virgin Islands.

‘On September 17, 2005, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this true-color image of Tortola and its smaller neighbors, Guana Island, Grand Camanoe, and Beef Island. The islands follow a roughly southwest-northeast trajectory. Gray-beige urbanized areas cling to the coast while Tortola’s interior remains mostly green, an arrangement driven by the island’s topography. The biggest settlement fringes Road Bay. A straight line crossing Beef Island gives away the location of a small airport.

‘Tortola’s carpet of green suggests a lush rainforest, but the island actually supports a patch of drought-resistant forest, in addition to plants accustomed to more water. Tortola’s climate and land surface are well suited to raising livestock, but tourism and financial services are the primary industries.’

Pretty spectacular!