Tunis and Carthage, Tunisia
ASTER VNIR Level 1B : RGB=321 : 2001/3/12

 The cover is an ASTER false color image of Tunis and Carthage on the northern African coast.

 Carthage, famous for the ancient Polis founded in the 9th century B.C. by the Phoenician, is located 15km to the east of Tunis along the shore of the Gulf of Tunis. Carthage governed the surrounding Mediterranean countries and islands for a long time.

 Tunis was founded by the Libyans as a satellite city of Carthage, and had been enjoying prosperity until the defeat in the 3rd Poeni War in 146 B.C. Tunis is now the capital and the largest city in Tunisia.

 The archaeological site of Carthage was registered on the UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1979.