The Russian city of Orenburg • Earth.com

The Russian city of Orenburg Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features the Russian city of Orenburg, located near the border of Kazakhstan.

The city is covered in snow, which highlights the radial pattern of roads that spread out from the old city center.Orenburg (Russian: Оренбург, IPA: [ərʲɪnˈburk]) is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Ural River, 1,478 kilometers (918 mi) southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is also very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Population: 548,331 ( 2010 Census ); 549,361 ( 2002 Census ); 546,501  ( 1989 Census).

According to NASA, areas that appear dark in the image are mostly forests where tall trees obscure the snow below. The largest forested areas are located on the floodplains of the Ural and Sakmara Rivers. 

Orenburg is positioned at the southern tip of the Ural Mountains, which is considered to be the divide between Europe and Asia. ailroads were completed, respectively in 1876 and 1905. Its main airport is the Orenburg Tsentralny Airport, located about 25 kilometers (16 mi) east of the city, on the Orsk destination, and used to be the headquarters of now defunct Orenair. 

The photograph was captured on February 20, 2021 by an astronaut with the Russian Space Agency.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

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