City report · La Guajira Department, Colombia
Maicao Air quality today
Air quality in Maicao currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 52
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.0
- tree cover
- 5.9%
- trees in this area
- 18.5K
- more trees needed
- 75.7K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Aug 30, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Maicao · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Maicao's tree count comes to 18,535 trees across 12.57 km², 24 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 75,712 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Maicao today: AQI 52, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 12:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.0
PM10
11.5
NO₂
1.0
O₃
93.0
SO₂
1.7
CO
157.0
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Maicao's daily AQI at 27 on average, from 13 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 52 on Nov 10.
Where Maicao stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Maicao: Critically low
5.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
18,535
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
75,712
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,666 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Maicao lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Maicao has lost about 548 hectares of forest (about 770 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 548 haabout 770 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 545 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 121 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 120 ha | 1 ha | 121 ha |
| 2002 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2003 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2004 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2005 | 43 ha | under 1 ha | 43 ha |
| 2006 | 31 ha | under 1 ha | 32 ha |
| 2007 | 25 ha | under 1 ha | 25 ha |
| 2008 | 22 ha | under 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2009 | 68 ha | under 1 ha | 68 ha |
| 2010 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2011 | 39 ha | under 1 ha | 39 ha |
| 2012 | 28 ha | under 1 ha | 28 ha |
| 2013 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2014 | 30 ha | under 1 ha | 31 ha |
| 2015 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2017 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2018 | 26 ha | under 1 ha | 26 ha |
| 2019 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2020 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2022 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2025 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Maicao?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good99% · 541 ha
Also: mining and energy, towns and roads, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 3,860 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,890 ha
- Overall change
- −972 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Maicao shrank from about 3,860 hectares to 2,890 hectares, a net loss of about 972 hectares (−25%). New forest grew on about 27 hectares, but 999 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Maicao
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Riohacha75.1 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 53
- La Concepción95.1 km
Venezuela
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 51
- Maracaibo106.8 km
Venezuela
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 64
- Los Puertos de Altagracia107.6 km
Venezuela
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 55
- Cabimas138.7 km
Venezuela
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 55
- Valledupar150.2 km
Colombia
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 22
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Frequently asked
Questions about Maicao
What is the air quality (AQI) in Maicao right now?
The latest reading for Maicao shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 12:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Maicao today?
At AQI 52 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Maicao been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Maicao's daily AQI at 27 on average, from 13 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 52 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Maicao lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Maicao has lost about 548 hectares of forest (about 770 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Maicao shrank from about 3,860 hectares to 2,890 hectares, a net loss of about 972 hectares (−25%). New forest grew on about 27 hectares, but 999 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Maicao?
Maicao has an estimated 18,535 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 5.9% tree cover, 24 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Maicao need?
Maicao needs roughly 75,712 more trees to close a 24-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,666 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Maicao's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Maicao; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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