Ringkasan

Earth Observatory text: [1]

Once used by Alexander the Great in his effort to conquer the known world, the high-altitude passes of the Hindu Kush remain important trade and travel routes. Glaciers and heavy snowfall are ever-present features of these mountains, which rise to 7,692 meters (26,236 feet) in height.

Straddling the borders between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India, the Hindu Kush is heavily populated. Though the valleys are heavily irrigated, growing crops at such high altitudes and low temperatures is difficult. The residents also have to worry about earthquakes, which are common as the Eurasian and Indo-Australian tectonic plates continue to push against one-another. This constant pressure and grinding create an average of four major (measuring at least 5 on the Richter scale) earthquakes a year.

In this true-color Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image, the Hindu Kush occupies the lower-left-center of the image. To the left are the relatively lower altitude plains of southern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The fertile plains surrounding the northern strands of the Indus River are a deep green at the bottom center of the image (a translucent veil of smog adds a gray tinge to the region). Straddling the mountains north of the Kush are Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which butt up against the arid Tarim basin of northwestern China. The Silk Road, the all-important trade route between China and Europe, runs through the Hindu Kush and this basin. This true-color Terra MODIS image was acquired on November 28, 2003.

Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC

Lisensi

	Berkas ini berada dalam domain publik di Amerika Serikat karena semata-mata diciptakan oleh NASA. Kebijakan hak cipta NASA menyatakan bahwa "materi NASA tidak dilindungi oleh hak cipta kecuali dicatat". (Lihat Template:PD-USGov, Halaman kebijakan hak cipta NASA atau JPL Image Use Policy.)
	Peringatan: Penggunaan logo, lencana, dan lambang NASA dibatasi per undang-undang AS 14 CFR 1221. Situs NASA merupakan rumah untuk sejumlah besar gambar dari badan antariksa Soviet/Rusia, dan lembaga ruang angkasa non-Amerika lainnya. Ini belum tentu berada dalam domain publik. Materi berdasarkan data teleskop luar angkasa Hubble mungkin dilindungi hak cipta jika data-data tersebut tidak secara eksplisit dihasilkan oleh STScI.[2] Lihat juga {{PD-Hubble}} dan {{Cc-Hubble}}. Proyek gabungan SOHO (ESA & NASA) menyiratkan bahwa semua bahan yang dibuat oleh probe-nya adalah berhak cipta dan memerlukan izin untuk penggunaan komersial non-pendidikan. [3] Gambar-gambar yang ditampilkan di situs web Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) mungkin memiliki hak cipta. [4] Situs National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) telah dikenal untuk menjadi rumah konten berhak cipta meskipun FAQ galeri fotonya menyatakan bahwa semua gambar di galeri foto tersebut berada dalam domain publik.