Multicolored ‘mosaic’ of mini farms surrounds Taiwan’s largest river — Earth from space

This recent satellite snap shows off a multicolored “mosaic” of tightly packed mini farms covering part of Taiwan in the western Pacific Ocean. The sea of fields and shade nets demonstrates the scale of the agricultural challenges facing the densely populated island.

Taiwan is 14,000 square miles (36,000 square kilometers) — about the same size as Maryland — but has a population around four times as large, with approximately 23 million people living there, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory. This places a heavy burden on the island’s agricultural industry to provide enough food for everyone on the island, especially as large parts of the landmass are covered by mountains and rainforest.