Environmental Photo of the Year by NASA

A recent article about the demise of the Maya has an interesting sidelight.

The August 24, 2004 NASA article by Mischon Scott entitled Mayan Mysteries contains a photo which I would entitle the "Environmental Photo of the Year".

It is a space photograph of the border between Mexico and Guatemala and shows clearly the political border between the two countries as if it been drawn onto the Earth by ruler and pencil.

The reason for this is the deforestation in Mexico and retention of the rain forest in Guatemala. The deforestation is so severe that it makes the political boundaries between the two states visible in a photo from space. Take a look.