This astronaut photograph highlights hundreds of rectangular fields on either side of a 36-kilometer (22-mile) stretch of the Songhua River. Some fields are easier to see than others due to the winter snow cover. The braided Songhua joins with the Amur River about 40 kilometers (25 miles) downstream, at the border with Russia. Numerous villages also appear as small gray polygons. Broad floodplains can be recognized on both sides of the river, occupied by fewer fields and almost no villages. The town of Suibing stands out as a larger gray patch on the banks of the river. A significant 300 meter-high hill south of the river throws midmorning shadows. The region is one of the most heavily cultivated in northeastern China, with corn, soybeans, and sorghum being major crops. The areas of varying whiteness cover may correlate with zones of different crops and forest cover (for example, on the hill in the center part of the image). The degree to which fallow fields are cleared of vegetation may also affect the apparent snow brightness.