This map is a natural-color rendition created from Landsat 7
Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus imagery collected between 1999 and
2002. The natural colors were generated using calibrated red-,
green-, and blue-wavelength Landsat image data, which were
correlated with red, green, and blue values of corresponding
picture elements in MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectrometer) "true color" mosaics of Afghanistan. These mosaics
have been published on http://www.truecolorearth.com and
modified to match more closely the Munsell colors of sampled
surfaces. Peak elevations are derived from Shuttle Radar
Topography Mission (SRTM) digital data, averaged over a pixel
representing an area of 85 m2, and they are slightly lower than
the highest corresponding local point. Cultural data were
extracted from files downloaded from the Afghanistan Information
Management Service (AIMS) Web site (http://www.aims.org.af). The
AIMS files were originally derived from maps produced by the
Afghanistan Geodesy and Cartography Head Offi