Since the end of April, severe floods have inundated the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. Sparked by heavy rainstorms, the flooding has left hundreds of towns underwater, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and caused at least 100 deaths. Porto Alegre, a city of about 1.5 million, has been hit especially hard and can be seen in several frames of this before and after compilation.

-30.033056°, -51.230000°

Source imagery: ESA Earth Observation

The population of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has grown 50% in 40 years, from 9.1 million in 1984 to more than 13.7 million today. Located on the Atlantic Coast beside Guanabara Bay, the metropolis is the second-most populous city in Brazil and sixth-most populous in the Americas. Our thoughts are with the people of Brazil affected by the Rio Grande do Sul flooding; we plan to post imagery once we have it.

-22.911111, -43.205556

Source imagery: Google Timelapse

Clouds float over the Kikori River Delta in southern Papua New Guinea. Part of the Gulf of Papua, this coastal mangrove forest is considered one of the most important wetland regions in the Asia-Pacific due to its cultural and biodiversity value. It is a habitat for Indo-Pacific humpback and Australian snubfin dolphins, both listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

-7.428366°, 144.428927°

Source imagery: Airbus Space

Today is Cinco de Mayo, a yearly celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. This Timelapse shows decades of growth in Puebla, which is now Mexico’s fourth largest city with around 3.4 million inhabitants. The city typically celebrates today with a large parade and a re-enactment of the battle.

19.033333°, -98.183333°

Source imagery: NASA / USGS Landsat

Waves roll in to Chicama, Peru. This area is well known for having one of the longest surfs in the world, especially at “The Point,” a spot where you can allegedly surf a single wave for slightly more than a mile (2 km) if conditions are right.

-8.005722°, -79.188250°

Source imagery: Maxar

Hulhumalé is an artificial island in the Maldives, gradually formed by land reclamation since 1997. Now 2 square miles (4 sq. km) with a population near 100,000, the island was built to ease congestion on nearby Malé, which lies opposite Velana International Airport. With a population of 252,768 in an area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 sq. km), Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

4.216667°, 73.533333°

Source imagery: Maxar

Seattle is the most populous city in the state of Washington, with a population of roughly 750,000. Situated on an isthmus between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington, the city is a major gateway for trade with Asia. This Overview shows several neighborhoods north of the city center, including Eastlake, Portage Bay, Montlake and others.

47.609722°, -122.333056°

Source imagery: Nearmap

Zhengzhou is one of the fastest-growing cities in central China, its population climbing from 800,000 to 12.6 million since 1980. Much of its growth has come from a manufacturing boom; in fact, it contains the largest smartphone production site in the world and is known as “iPhone City”. Zhengzhou’s metropolitan area covers 1,649 square miles (4,271 sq. km) along the southern bank of the Yellow River.

34.764000°, 113.684000°

Source imagery: Google Timelapse / Planet

In Libya, where 90% of land is desert and just 2% gets enough rainfall for cultivation, irrigation is required to grow food. This Timelapse shows a series of center-pivot irrigation fields near the Kufra Oasis, one of Libya’s largest agricultural projects. Irrigation throughout Libya relies on the “Great Man-made River” — a 2,820-kilometer (1,750-mile) network of pipes supplying fresh water obtained from underground fossil aquifers.

26.972480°, 22.215840°

Source imagery: NASA / Google Timelapse

The Sundarbans is a region that covers 3,900 square miles (10,000 square km) of southern Bangladesh and a small section of Eastern India. This region is densely covered by mangrove forests and contains the largest natural reserve for the Bengal tiger. Over the past two centuries, approximately 2,600 square miles (6,700 square km) of the Sundarbans’ land has been developed.

21.950000°, 89.183333°

Source imagery: NASA