This data was produced in 1999 by rationalizing a 48-class database into 28 distinct classes. The original database was derived from digital, multispectral Landsat Thematic Mapper data recorded between 1986 and 1997, with most of the satellite data frames recorded in the early 1990s. The resulting database includes: * vegetation types such as forests, wetlands and pasture * categories of non-vegetated surface such as waterbodies, bedrock or settlements The data reflects the nature of the land surface rather than the land use.