Récif des Français
- ISS006-E-6376
- 09 December 2002
- 23:35 UTC
Stretching for around 130 km in a northwestwards direction from the Île Yandé area, the Récif des Français is the northernmost section of the 600 km long series of near-continuous barrier reefs that lie off the western coast of Grande Terre. The reef encloses a lagoon of around 55 km in width, the eastern side of which is bound by the equally impressive Grand Récif de Cook.
In the far north the reef begins a twisting turn to the east where it ultimately links up with the Grand Récif de Cook forming the southern boundary to the 38 km wide Grand Passage separating the Grande Terre barrier reefs from those of the the Rêcifs d'Entracasteaux. A full-length mosaic image is here.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
