Pearl River Delta, China
Agriculture
As an example of how the cities of the region have merged after the 1978 reforms, these images are a closer look at Guangzhou and Foshan. Even in 2000, they were clearly separate cities. The land between them then fills in with urbanization.
The 2017 image shows the appearance of what appear to be several black dots between the two cities. These are high-rise residential buildings. They look a little similar to the fish ponds, but these are a bit smaller, and they are dark because of the shadows they cast on the ground.
Location
Dec. 25, 1973, Landsat 1 (path/row 131/44) — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Nov. 3, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 122/44) — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Nov. 9, 1994, Landsat 5 (path/row 122/44) — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Sept. 14, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 122/44) — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Oct. 22, 2005, Landsat 5 (path/row 122/44) — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Nov. 2, 2009, Landsat 5 (path/row 122/44) — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Oct. 23, 2017, Landsat 5 (path/row 122/44) — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Nov. 14, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 122/44) — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Nov. 1, 2017, Sentinel-2A — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Nov. 11, 2019, Sentinel-2A — Guangzhou and Foshan, China
Pearl River Delta, China Additional Imagery & Stories
Bridge
Cities that are growing this rapidly must also show accompanying infrastructure changes. The additions of bridges, highways, railroads, and airports a...
Dongguan
The urban growth in the PRD is vast. There are no longer any clear urban centers—a different growth trajectory from other large cities in China such a...
Guangzhou and Foshan
As an example of how the cities of the region have merged after the 1978 reforms, these images are a closer look at Guangzhou and Foshan. Even in 2000...
Industry
The PRD was mostly rural before the 1978 reforms began. The major industries were farming and aquaculture. The major crops were rice, sugar cane, pean...