TOPSHOT-US-SATELLITE IMAGE-GREAT BARIER REEF

TOPSHOT - This image taken from NASA's Earth Obeservatory Internet site shows the Great Barrier Reef, that extends for 1,242 miles (2,000 km) along the northeastern coast of Australia. It is not a single reef, but a vast maze of reefs, passages, and coral cays (islands that are part of the reef). This true-color image was acquired by the Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) instrument on August 26, 2000, and shows part of the southern portion of the reef adjacent to the central Queensland coast. The width of the MISR swath is approximately 236 miles (380 kilometers), with the reef clearly visible up to approximately 124 miles (200 kilometers) from the coast. The large island off the most northerly part of the coast visible in this image is Whitsunday Island, with smaller islands and reefs extending southeast, parallel to the coast. AFP PHOTO/ NASA (Photo by - / NASA / AFP) (Photo by -/NASA/AFP via Getty Images)