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The pyramids at Giza can be seen in the center of this image taken from the International Space Station in 2012, with the modern Cairo metropolitan area to the left and the Sahara desert on the right.

Photos: Africa from the air, captured by NASA

Cairo, Egypt – The pyramids at Giza can be seen in the center of this image taken from the International Space Station in 2012, with the modern Cairo metropolitan area to the left and the Sahara desert on the right.

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Photos: Africa from the air, captured by NASA

River, Sierra Leone – The Sierra Leone river, captured in 2014 by the NASA Terra spacecraft.

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A crew member on the International Space Station captured this image of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, covered in snow and ice in 2007.

Photos: Africa from the air, captured by NASA

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania – A crew member on the International Space Station captured this image of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, covered in snow and ice in 2007.

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The Richat Structure, a geographical feature in the Sahara, is pictured in 1993 sitting in the Gres de Chinguetti Plateau in central Mauritania, northwest Africa.

Photos: Africa from the air, captured by NASA

Gres de Chinguetti Plateau, Mauritania – The Richat Structure, a geographical feature in the Sahara, is pictured in 1993 sitting in the Gres de Chinguetti Plateau in central Mauritania, northwest Africa.

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The ancient city of Carthage in Tunisia is pictured here, as photographed by a crew member on the International Space Station in 2006.

Photos: Africa from the air, captured by NASA

Carthage, Tunisia – The ancient city of Carthage in Tunisia is pictured here, as photographed by a crew member on the International Space Station in 2006.

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This image of the Tibesti Mountains, Chad, was taken in 1997. The squid-like shape the lava made as it flowed down the flanks of the Pic Tousside provided astronauts with a visual marker as they flew across northern Africa.

Photos: Africa from the air, captured by NASA

Tibesti Mountains, Chad – This image of the Tibesti Mountains, Chad, was taken in 1997. The squid-like shape the lava made as it flowed down the flanks of the Pic Tousside provided astronauts with a visual marker as they flew across northern Africa.

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The Tifernine dunes of east-central Algeria are pictured in this image, captured in 1995. "The dunes lie in a basin of dark-colored rocks heavily cut by winding stream courses (top right)," explains the caption in the Nasa Image and Video Gallery. "Very occasional storms allow the streams to erode the dark rocks and transport the sediment to the basin. Winds then mold the stream sediments into the complex dune shapes so well displayed here."

Photos: Africa from the air, captured by NASA

Tifernine dunes, Algeria – The Tifernine dunes of east-central Algeria are pictured in this image, captured in 1995. "The dunes lie in a basin of dark-colored rocks heavily cut by winding stream courses (top right)," explains the caption in the Nasa Image and Video Gallery. "Very occasional storms allow the streams to erode the dark rocks and transport the sediment to the basin. Winds then mold the stream sediments into the complex dune shapes so well displayed here."

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