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geographical skills

Interpreting satellite images

As a GCSE geographer you should be able to interpret a range of images such as ground, aerial and satellite photographs. This ‘Geographical Skills’ column will give you the skills to interpret satellite images and, using examples, apply your understanding to exam-style questions.

A satellite image or photograph is a picture of the Earth which has been taken from space. As you would expect, these are taken from above and can vary in scale. For example, they could show tropical storms forming above the Earth, lights from urban areas across a continent or they could zoom in and show detailed features such as residential streets and farmland in a particular town or region.

The satellite photograph shown in Figure 1 is very detailed. It covers a large area of London. It is useful to start by looking at the photograph as a whole, and then focus on different sections, considering the colours, shape and location of different areas. Before reading on, what human and physical features can you identify?

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Jakarta: Indonesia’s sinking megacity

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The M1, junction 15

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