EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

        The Dunes of Nasser  ---->

Sand Dunes, Lake Nasser, Egypt and Sudan

Explanation:  As needed, scroll right to view the full panoramic image of this alien-appearing landscape.

But alien is it not.  These are sand dunes bordering the immense Lake Nasser that straddles southern Egypt and northern Sudan. 

Lake Nasser is a planetary wonder, being one of the globe's largest reservoirs, occurring in one of the globe's driest environments.  The lake was formed in the 1960s with the creation of the Aswan Dam and the High Dam.  In Sudan the waters are referred to as Lake Nubia, but it is all one gargantuan water body, covering some 1,550 square miles (4,015 square kilometers) and reaching 600 feet (183 meters) deep.  

Although the shore may be ringed by colorful, patterned sand dunes, it is also used for grazing sheep and camels by the Bedouin communities.