Abū al-Kahṣīb vs Shūshtar

Tree cover and air quality for both, measured the same way: Sentinel-2 imagery at 10 m detail over a 2 km radius from each city centre, and the live US EPA air quality index. Same radius and same index, so the two numbers compare directly.

Shūshtar has more tree cover — 8.3% against 5.8%.

Abū al-Kahṣīb has cleaner air right now — AQI 66 against 193.

Tree cover gap: 2.5 points; Shūshtar is ahead.
Air quality gap: 127 AQI; Abū al-Kahṣīb is cleaner.
Trees between them: 7.7K; Shūshtar has more standing.

Abū al-Kahṣīb

Iraq

Shūshtar

Iran

Tree cover

Share of the 2 km radius under canopy.

5.8%

8.3%

Air quality index

US EPA index, live, with its band. Lower is better.

66 · Moderate

193 · Unhealthy

Trees standing

Estimated from the measured canopy area.

18.1K

25.8K

Trees still needed

To reach the same canopy target. Fewer is better.

75.6K

98.5K

CO₂ absorbed each year

By the trees already standing.

398K kg

567K kg

The full Abū al-Kahṣīb report18,112 trees, measured Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search The full Shūshtar report25,788 trees, measured Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search

Air quality in detail

What each city is breathing

Concentrations in µg/m³, measured at the same moment as the index above. Lower is better in every row. Both are modelled, with no ground station close enough to either.

PM2.5

Fine particles, the pollutant that usually sets the index.

19.4 µg/m³

71.7 µg/m³

PM10

Coarser particles — dust, pollen, road grit.

33.3 µg/m³

339 µg/m³

Nitrogen dioxide

Mostly traffic and combustion.

11 µg/m³

15.5 µg/m³

Ozone

Forms in sunlight; peaks on hot, still afternoons.

44 µg/m³

39 µg/m³

The last week, day by day

A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon. The week says whether it was the weather or the place.

Abū al-KahṣībShūshtar· daily US EPA index, last 7 days

Daily air quality index for Abū al-Kahṣīb and Shūshtar
Day	Abū al-Kahṣīb	Shūshtar
22 Sept	87	144
23 Sept	96	137
24 Sept	132	219
25 Sept	138	218
26 Sept	100	139
27 Sept	87	177
28 Sept	66	287

Reading these numbers

What is actually being measured

Tree cover

The share of ground under canopy inside a 2 km radius of each city centre, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It is a measurement of that circle, not of the whole municipality — which is exactly what makes the two comparable, since city boundaries are drawn to wildly different rules around the world. Shūshtar leads here at 8.3%.

Air quality index

The live US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations — ground stations where a city has them nearby, and a model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so this is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place: Abū al-Kahṣīb reads 66 (moderate) and Shūshtar reads 193 (unhealthy) right now.

Frequently asked

Abū al-Kahṣīb and Shūshtar, answered

Which has more trees, Abū al-Kahṣīb or Shūshtar?

Shūshtar, with roughly 25,788 trees inside its 2 km radius against 18,112. Tree cover tells a slightly different story from raw count: Shūshtar has the denser canopy at 8.3%.

Which has better air quality, Abū al-Kahṣīb or Shūshtar?

Abū al-Kahṣīb right now, at AQI 66 against 193 — a gap of 127 points. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day.

How many more trees does each city need?

Abū al-Kahṣīb needs about 75,570 more to reach its canopy target, and Shūshtar about 98,493. The target is the same share of ground for both, so the figures are directly comparable.

Are these two measured the same way?

Yes — that is the point of the page. Identical radius, identical satellite source at 10 m detail, and the same US EPA index for air. Nothing here is adjusted for population, city limits or climate, so the numbers describe the same-sized circle of ground in each place.

Keep going

Other comparisons nearby

Build your own

Compare Abū al-Kahṣīb with somewhere else

This place

Abū al-Kahṣīb

Second place

Want a different pair? Browse comparisons or measure any address.