Part of the Italian island of Sardinia is featured in this image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
Zoom in to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution or click on the circles to learn more.
With an area of about 24 090 sq km, Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily. It is situated about 200 km west of the Italian peninsula, a similar distance north of Tunisia, and is separated from the French island of Corsica by just 12 km.
The area pictured here covers a section of the province of Sassari in the northwestern part of the island, with the Sardinian Sea to the west and the Gulf of Asinara to the north.
The urban agglomeration of the city of Sassari can be seen as a brown and grey area near the centre of the image, about 10 km inland from the northern coast. Sassari lies at about 225 m above sea level on a wide plateau that slopes down towards the Gulf of Asinara. The city is surrounded by a green belt of agricultural fields and olive plantations.
The seaport serving Sassari is Porto Torres, lying on the coast along the Gulf of Asinara. The gulf is named after Asinara Island, visible at the northwest tip of the gulf. Once home to one of Italy’s top-security prisons, Asinara Island is now a protected marine and wildlife reserve.
Zooming in, it’s interesting to note how the waters within the gulf appear calm compared to the rough waters of the open sea to the west, where distinct wave patterns can be clearly identified. The white colour all along the western coastline is caused by the big waves crashing against the rocky cliffs.
Moving south, two bays are visible at the bottom of the image: the smaller bay of Porto Conte and the larger bay of Alghero. Here, the city of Alghero extends along the coast, while the port of Fertilia lies at the northern end of the bay. The runways of the Alghero-Fertilia Airport can be spotted just inland from Fertilia.
In the area between Alghero, Sassari and Porto Torres lies the plain of Nurra. Covering a surface of about 700 sq km, Nurra is the second-largest plain on the island, dominated in the image by agricultural fields, with a large section devoted to vineyards.