CIA - The World Factbook 2002 -- Field Listing

Field Listing - Natural hazards

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This entry lists potential natural disasters.

Country	Natural hazards
Afghanistan	damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Albania	destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought
Algeria	mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season
American Samoa	typhoons common from December to March
Andorra	avalanches
Angola	locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau
Anguilla	frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)
Antarctica	katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise along the coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large icebergs may calve from ice shelf
Antigua and Barbuda	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Arctic Ocean	ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May
Argentina	San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the Pampas and northeast; heavy flooding
Armenia	occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts
Aruba	lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Ashmore and Cartier Islands	surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards
Atlantic Ocean	icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December)
Australia	cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
Austria	landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Azerbaijan	droughts
Bahamas, The	hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage
Bahrain	periodic droughts; dust storms
Baker Island	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Bangladesh	droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
Barbados	infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Bassas da India	maritime hazard since it is usually under water during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones
Belarus	NA
Belgium	flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Belize	frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Benin	hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Bermuda	hurricanes (June to November)
Bhutan	violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season
Bolivia	flooding in the northeast (March-April)
Bosnia and Herzegovina	destructive earthquakes
Botswana	periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
Bouvet Island	NA
Brazil	recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south
British Indian Ocean Territory	NA
British Virgin Islands	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Brunei	typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very rare
Bulgaria	earthquakes, landslides
Burkina Faso	recurring droughts
Burma	destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts
Burundi	flooding, landslides, drought
Cambodia	monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts
Cameroon	volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes
Canada	continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains
Cape Verde	prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active
Cayman Islands	hurricanes (July to November)
Central African Republic	hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common
Chad	hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues
Chile	severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
China	frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence
Christmas Island	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Clipperton Island	NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands	cyclone season is October to April
Colombia	highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts
Comoros	cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
Congo, Republic of the	seasonal flooding
Cook Islands	typhoons (November to March)
Coral Sea Islands	occasional tropical cyclones
Costa Rica	occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes
Cote d'Ivoire	coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
Croatia	destructive earthquakes
Cuba	the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common
Cyprus	moderate earthquake activity; droughts
Czech Republic	flooding
Denmark	flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes
Djibouti	earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods
Dominica	flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months
Dominican Republic	lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
East Timor	floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones
Ecuador	frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts
Egypt	periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms
El Salvador	known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
Equatorial Guinea	violent windstorms, flash floods
Eritrea	frequent droughts; locust swarms
Estonia	sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
Ethiopia	geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Europa Island	NA
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)	strong winds persist throughout the year
Faroe Islands	NA
Fiji	cyclonic storms can occur from November to January
Finland	NA
France	flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean
French Guiana	high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
French Polynesia	occasional cyclonic storms in January
French Southern and Antarctic Lands	Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes
Gabon	NA
Gambia, The	drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years)
Gaza Strip	droughts
Georgia	earthquakes
Germany	flooding
Ghana	dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts
Gibraltar	NA
Glorioso Islands	periodic cyclones
Greece	severe earthquakes
Greenland	continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island
Grenada	lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November
Guadeloupe	hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano
Guam	frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (June - December)
Guatemala	numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
Guernsey	NA
Guinea	hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season
Guinea-Bissau	hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Guyana	flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons
Haiti	lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts
Heard Island and McDonald Islands	Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island
Holy See (Vatican City)	NA
Honduras	frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast
Hong Kong	occasional typhoons
Howland Island	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Iceland	earthquakes and volcanic activity
India	droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes
Indian Ocean	occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches
Indonesia	occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires
Iran	periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes along western border and in the northeast
Iraq	dust storms, sandstorms, floods
Ireland	NA
Israel	sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
Italy	regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
Jamaica	hurricanes (especially July to November)
Jan Mayen	dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
Japan	many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
Jarvis Island	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island poses a maritime hazard
Jersey	NA
Johnston Atoll	NA
Jordan	droughts; periodic earthquakes
Juan de Nova Island	periodic cyclones
Kazakhstan	earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty
Kenya	recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons
Kingman Reef	wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
Kiribati	typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level
Korea, North	late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Korea, South	occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest
Kuwait	sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April; they bring heavy rain which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August
Kyrgyzstan	NA
Laos	floods, droughts
Latvia	NA
Lebanon	dust storms, sandstorms
Lesotho	periodic droughts
Liberia	dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
Libya	hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
Liechtenstein	NA
Lithuania	NA
Luxembourg	NA
Macau	typhoons
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of	high seismic risks
Madagascar	periodic cyclones
Malawi	NA
Malaysia	flooding, landslides, forest fires
Maldives	low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
Mali	hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding
Malta	NA
Man, Isle of	NA
Marshall Islands	infrequent typhoons
Martinique	hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years)
Mauritania	hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Mauritius	cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
Mayotte	cyclones during rainy season
Mexico	tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts
Micronesia, Federated States of	typhoons (June to December)
Midway Islands	NA
Moldova	landslides (57 cases in 1998)
Monaco	NA
Mongolia	dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud", which is harsh winter conditions
Montserrat	severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1996)
Morocco	northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts
Mozambique	severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods occur in central and southern provinces
Namibia	prolonged periods of drought
Nauru	periodic droughts
Navassa Island	NA
Nepal	severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Netherlands	flooding
Netherlands Antilles	Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
New Caledonia	cyclones, most frequent from November to March
New Zealand	earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
Nicaragua	destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
Niger	recurring droughts
Nigeria	periodic droughts; flooding
Niue	typhoons
Norfolk Island	typhoons (especially May to July)
Northern Mariana Islands	active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)
Norway	rockslides, avalanches
Oman	summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts
Pacific Ocean	surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December
Pakistan	frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
Palau	typhoons (June to December)
Palmyra Atoll	NA
Panama	occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area
Papua New Guinea	active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis
Paracel Islands	typhoons
Paraguay	local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
Peru	earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity
Philippines	astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis
Pitcairn Islands	typhoons (especially November to March)
Poland	flooding
Portugal	Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Puerto Rico	periodic droughts; hurricanes
Qatar	haze, dust storms, sandstorms common
Reunion	periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano
Romania	earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
Russia	permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula
Rwanda	periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Saint Helena	active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Saint Kitts and Nevis	hurricanes (July to October)
Saint Lucia	hurricanes and volcanic activity
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat
Samoa	occasional typhoons; active volcanism
San Marino	NA
Sao Tome and Principe	NA
Saudi Arabia	frequent sand and dust storms
Senegal	lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
Seychelles	lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible
Sierra Leone	dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Singapore	NA
Slovakia	NA
Slovenia	flooding and earthquakes
Solomon Islands	typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Somalia	recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season
South Africa	prolonged droughts
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism
Southern Ocean	huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue
Spain	periodic droughts
Spratly Islands	typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals
Sri Lanka	occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Sudan	dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
Suriname	NA
Svalbard	ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic
Swaziland	drought
Sweden	ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
Switzerland	avalanches, landslides, flash floods
Syria	dust storms, sandstorms
Taiwan	earthquakes and typhoons
Tajikistan	earthquakes and floods
Tanzania	flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought
Thailand	land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts
Togo	hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
Tokelau	lies in Pacific typhoon belt
Tonga	cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou
Trinidad and Tobago	outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
Tromelin Island	NA
Tunisia	NA
Turkey	very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Turkmenistan	NA
Turks and Caicos Islands	frequent hurricanes
Tuvalu	severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level
Uganda	NA
Ukraine	NA
United Arab Emirates	frequent sand and dust storms
United Kingdom	winter windstorms; floods
United States	tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
Uruguay	seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind which blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts
Uzbekistan	NA
Vanuatu	tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis
Venezuela	subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts
Vietnam	occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Virgin Islands	several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes
Wake Island	occasional typhoons
Wallis and Futuna	NA
West Bank	droughts
Western Sahara	hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
World	large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
Yemen	sandstorms and dust storms in summer
Yugoslavia	destructive earthquakes
Zambia	tropical storms (November to April)
Zimbabwe	recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002