File:India (MODIS 2016-12-22).jpg

English: The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite flew over India on December 20, 2016, and acquired a true-color image of much of the country.

The landscape is washed primarily in the tans typical of dry winter, the time when most vegetation has stopped active growth. Greens indicate primarily forests and shrublands, although some grasslands retain greenness – but not the lush quality found during the rainy season (July – September).

In the northwest corner of the image lies the Thar Desert – a large, arid area that covers about 77,000 square miles (199,500 square km). In the west, suspended sediment is carried by the Mahi River and Sabmarti River, spilling into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Khambhat. A large area of gray pixels can be seen near the southern reach of the tan sediment along the western coast. The gray pixels mark the man-made structures in the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with over 22 million residents. In the northeast, a heavy haze (pollution) lies over parts of India and Bangladesh.