The relationship was analysed between the vegetation cover factor expressed as a percentage and the area-averaged normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). On selected days the NDVI was calculated from channel 1 and 2 reflectance data of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-11) satellite's advanced very high-resolution radiometer (AVHRR) for five test areas under agricultural and forestry use. No ground-based reflectance measurements could be made for validation of these data. Therefore the land surface NDVI, which varied with time, and percentage vegetation cover of the test areas were deduced from time-independent but site-specific statistical land use data updated by temporal phenological observations, and from surfacespecific reflectance curves published in the literature. The result indicated that the area-averaged NDVI, as obtained from the NOAA-I 1 radiometer, was less than the value calculated from the land surface NDVI. After correction to reduce the offset of the data, the values would be a suitable indicator of the fraction of vegetation cover.