Bridgetown is the capital city of the island nation Barbados,
located to the east of the Lesser Antilles Island chain. While Barbados
is considered part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located within the
western Atlantic Ocean rather than the Caribbean Sea. Barbados is a
member of the British Commonwealth, and considers Queen Elizabeth II to
be its constitutional monarch.
Besides being the seat of government, Bridgetown is the largest city
in Barbados. It and the surrounding towns that make up the Greater
Bridgetown area are located along the southwestern coastline of the
island. The metropolitan area is readily recognizable in this astronaut
photograph due to the gray and white rooftops and street grids (image
center) that contrast with green vegetated fields and riverside areas
of the island’s interior to the northeast (image top center).
Bridgetown is a major port destination for both commercial and
cruise ships serving the eastern Caribbean—several ships are visible
within Carlisle Bay. Water color in the image changes from light blue
along the coastline—indicating shallow water—to the dark blue of deeper
water away from the island.
Astronaut photograph ISS022-E-12031
was acquired on December 16, 2009, with a Nikon D2Xs digital camera
fitted with an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth
Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory,
Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 22 crew. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program
supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that
will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make
those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken
by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by William L. Stefanov, NASA-JSC.
- Instrument:
- ISS - Digital Camera