Maiduguri vs N'Djamena
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.
N'Djamena has more tree cover — 24.9% against 11.6%.
N'Djamena has cleaner air right now — AQI 70 against 72.
- Tree cover gap
- 13.3 points
- N'Djamena is ahead.
- Air quality gap
- 2 AQI
- N'Djamena is cleaner.
- Trees between them
- 33.3K
- N'Djamena has more standing.
Tree cover
Share of the 2 km radius under canopy.
11.6%
24.9%
Air quality index
US EPA index, live, with its band. Lower is better.
72 · Moderate
70 · Moderate
Trees standing
Estimated from the measured canopy area.
36.4K
69.8K
Trees still needed
To reach the same canopy target. Fewer is better.
57.8K
14.3K
CO₂ absorbed each year
By the trees already standing.
802K kg
1.5M kg
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.
22.1 µg/m³
21.2 µg/m³
PM10
Coarser particles — dust, pollen, road grit.
70.3 µg/m³
65 µg/m³
Nitrogen dioxide
Mostly traffic and combustion.
0.8 µg/m³
0.6 µg/m³
Ozone
Forms in sunlight; peaks on hot, still afternoons.
99 µg/m³
93 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.
| Day | Maiduguri | N'Djamena |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Sept | 54 | 41 |
| 23 Sept | 61 | 58 |
| 24 Sept | 55 | 55 |
| 25 Sept | 46 | 44 |
| 26 Sept | 46 | 53 |
| 27 Sept | 64 | 66 |
| 28 Sept | 63 | 65 |
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. N'Djamena leads here at 24.9%.
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: Maiduguri reads 72 (moderate) and N'Djamena reads 70 (moderate) right now.
Frequently asked
Maiduguri and N'Djamena, answered
Which has more trees, Maiduguri or N'Djamena?
N'Djamena, with roughly 69,777 trees inside its 2 km radius against 36,442. Tree cover tells a slightly different story from raw count: N'Djamena has the denser canopy at 24.9%.
Which has better air quality, Maiduguri or N'Djamena?
N'Djamena right now, at AQI 70 against 72 — a gap of 2 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?
Maiduguri needs about 57,805 more to reach its canopy target, and N'Djamena about 14,292. 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 Maiduguri with somewhere else
This place
Maiduguri
Want a different pair? Browse comparisons or measure any address.