Masirah Island MU - A Staging Area for the War in Iraq
Masirah Island MU
This island is located off of the coast of Oman. At first glance it appears to be nothing more than a desert island that affords a difficult existence to it's inhabitants. As you zoom in, an airbase shows up at the northern end of the island. To the west of the airfield is a small town. One more zoom in and the airfield is now quite distinct. It turns out the airbase was built and used by the RAF during the waning years of colonialism. The RAF retained possession for some time, well into the 70's, the base was being used by RAF pilots. During the 80's and 90's the base was used by RAF Omani, RAF and USAF. Today it is an important staging base of operation for missions into Iraq and even as far away as Afghanistan. The website, Global Security, has an informative article on Masirah. There are a couple of other links that provide detail information about the island. One by a person that visited the island recently and the other by a group of freelance explorers that gives thorough information about two recent trips to the island.
What initially looked rather innocent and unimportant, turned out to be just the opposite. Islands are funny brutes. You think you've got them all figured out and then they fool you. What should be an out-of-the-way island inhabited by fishermen, is a staging area for the war in Iraq. Go figure!
I used Landsat imagery for the majority of my mapping efforts, but did use Digital Globe imagery to complete the newer features along the coast and at the airfield. The ground cover is classified as EVS Land Bare. I did not map the coast of Oman. If that coast fascinates you, check out the Landsat imagery. It shows the Omani coast.
Enjoy!
Labels: Digital Globe, EVS, Google, Indian Ocean, island, Landsat, map, Oman, RAF, RAFO, USAF
