Top 10 most Earthquake Prone Countries in the World
Life has no guarantees and when living anything can happen. When it comes to earthquakes and natural disasters, some countries or parts of those countries are more prone to them than others.
Unfortunately one can never be really certain when an earthquake can occur but you can take heed of experts and evacuate danger areas when told so.
In the world history, there have been numerous earthquakes some minor and others of very large magnitude that have caused deaths, injuries and loss of properties. Well here are the top 10 earthquake prone countries in the world.
SEE ALSO: 10 Poorest Countries with the Most Beautiful and Safe Places to Visit in the World
1. 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
On 26th December 2004, a tsunami of 9.1 magnitude occurred in northern Sumatra west coast and it was so strong that it 14 countries in Asia and east Africa felt it. Indonesia took the wrath of this quake as 230,000 people were harmed or feared dead with 170,000 confirmed dead and others still missing till today. The country lost over 60% of the industrial and fishing facilities.1.7 million people were also displaced.
2. 2010 Haiti earthquake
The 12th January 2010 Haiti earthquake is among the most recent that left the country devastated given that it has a high percentage of poor people and having left about 100,000 people dead, it could easily be one of the most deadliest to be ever witnessed.
3. 1868 Arica earthquake
There other earthquake was that in Arica Peru before it was part of Chile. It happened on 13th august 1868, had a magnitude of 9 and left 25,000 people dead and immense destruction. Its force reached Hawaii.
4. 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Then there is the more recent Japanese earthquake which occurred in Sendai on 11th march 2011. It had a magnitude of 9 and the death toll was estimated to me more than 10,000. This quake devastated the economy of the country greatly and its impact will be felt for a while. 20% of huge earthquakes in the world occur in Japan.
5. 1960 Historic Earthquakes
Photo credit: Sunset Newspaper: Source usgs.gov
Chile had the most devastating earthquake ever seen in 22nd may 1960 on the southern side of the country making the waves spread to the coasts of Philippines to Japan. This quake with a magnitude of 9.5, left 2 million people homeless and the injured and dead totaled 4485 in Chile and 170 in Japan and Philippines. The damage amounted to $550 million and there Puerto Saavedra was also destroyed totally. Only a day after the massive quake, the volcano puyehue erupted for several weeks and spewed lots of ash into the air.
6. 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake
Colombia is the other country as it recorded a quake of 8.8 magnitude on 13th January 1906 which left about 1500 people dead along the San Francisco to Central America coastline. This quake drained rivers in Hawaii after about 12 hours
7. 1950 Assam – Tibet earthquake
On the 15th of august 1950, Assam Tibet experienced an 8.6 magnitude inland quake that triggered landslides and left many buildings damaged. 780 people died in eastern Tibet with china and India feeling the effects and Norway also felt some oscillations.
8. 1964 Alaska earthquake
Then there is the 9.2 magnitude one in Prince William Sound Alaska. This quake occurred on 28th march 1964 on the Gulf of Alaska causing landslides and raising other islands a good 11 meters and the effects were felt in Louisiana gulf and Puerto Rico. 128 people were left dead and the property damage amounted to $311 million.
9. 1952 Kamchatka Earthquakes
Kamchatka Russia experienced a magnitude 9 earthquake on the 4th of November 1952 and its damage was felt all over Hawaiian Islands with the damage of property estimated at $1,000,000. Fortunately and shockingly, there were no reports of dead people only a farmer that lost 6 cows. This was very amazing for everyone.
1700 Cascadia earthquake
Then there is the one on the northern side of pacific coast of America which was estimated to be of a magnitude of 9 and there is no one alive who can tell the exact amount of damage as it occurred in 26th January 1700 and was actually documented by Japanese observers. People living in this area have to be particularly observant in order to be able to evade any calamity when the need arises.
Lastly there is Kathmandu Nepal which is densely populated with the people living near the highly seismic Himalayas. Reports show that Kathmandu resident is 2 times likely to be killed by a quake compared to other people. For most earthquake prone countries, there is no stated number of earthquakes annually just that some of them like Japan and Nepal experience continuing seismic activity throughout the year and most quakes affect different countries simultaneously and that further adds to this list.
Suggest articles:
- Why My Kids Fall in Love with the Disney Princess Movie “Frozen”
- Top 10 Poorest Countries with the Most Beautiful Girls in the World
- Top 10 Universities with the Most Beautiful Girls in the World
- Top 10 the Best Way to Learn Spanish Fastest and Easiest at Home
One thought on “Top 10 most Earthquake Prone Countries in the World”