Earth Observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember

ISS038-E-039032 (30 Jan. 2014) --- Prince Albert, South Africa is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 38 crew member on the International Space Station. Space station crews sometimes take detailed images with an 800mm lens, such as this view of the small town of Prince Albert (population just more than 7,000). The town lies at the foot of the mountains known as the Great Swartberg in southern South Africa, about 220 miles (355 kilometers) east of Cape Town. Prince Albert, named after Queen Victoria's husband, appears as a cluster of whitewashed buildings (left) at the foot of the mountains, larger dwellings nearer the steep mountain front and smaller dwellings further away. Despite its small size, the dry climate and the water supply from gorges immediately upstream (a small reservoir appears extreme left) have made it well-known as a productive point in the Karroo semidesert. Olive groves especially, with other crops, flourish on the valleys floors, surrounded by sheep and ostrich ranches. Founded 250 years ago, this small town retains more than a dozen registered historic buildings in the Victorian and Cape Dutch styles. Based on this and other small Karroo towns as get-aways from South Africa's large, crowded cities, tourism has developed significantly in the last 20 years. Swartberg means Black Mountain in Afrikaans, and winter snow (not visible in this image) along the mountain tops (4,500-6,500 feet; 1,370-1,980 meters, above the town) makes for spectacular scenery. The mountains are part of the ancient Cape Fold Mountain Belt. Gorges through the mountains provide impressive side-on views of tightly folded and broken rock layers associated with the mountain-building episode.