SPACEPHOTOS

This low-oblique, north-looking photograph captures Lesbos (Lésvos), the largest of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. Lesbos, with a rather hilly terrain, extremely fertile soils, and a mild climate, covers 630 square miles (1630 square kilometers) off the northwest coast of Turkey. Vast olive groves, numerous vineyards, citrus trees, and wheat crops are scattered throughout the island. Other industries include fishing (sardines), oil refining, soap production, livestock raising, and marble quarrying. Mitilíni, the chief city, is located on the island’s southeast coast (barely discernible in the photograph). Visible near the center of the photograph is the Gulf of Kallonís. Lesbos was the center of the Bronze Age and the cultural center of Greek civilization in the seventh century B.C.