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Natural hazards (Country profile category: Geography)

Afghanistan:
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding

Albania:
destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast

Algeria:
mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mud slides

American Samoa:
typhoons common from December to March

Andorra:
snowslides, 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

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

Austria:
NA

Azerbaijan:
droughts; some lowland areas threatened by rising levels of the Caspian Sea

Bahamas, The:
hurricanes and other tropical storms that 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 flooded 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 (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south)

Benin:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter

Bermuda:
hurricanes (June to November)

Bhutan:
violent storms coming down 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:
cold, thin air of high plateau is obstacle to efficient fuel combustion, as well as to physical activity by those unaccustomed to it from birth; 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

Cambodia:
monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

Cameroon:
recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases

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

Cape Verde:
prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; 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

Christmas Island:
the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard

Clipperton Island:
subject to tornadoes

Cocos (Keeling) Islands:
cyclones may occur in the early months of the year

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; volcanic activity

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; active volcanoes

Cote d'Ivoire:
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible

Croatia:
frequent and 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

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

Ecuador:
frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; periodic droughts

Egypt:
periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, volcanic activity; 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

Equatorial Guinea:
violent windstorms, flash floods

Eritrea:
frequent droughts and locust storms

Estonia:
flooding occurs frequently 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

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:
rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years

Gaza Strip:
NA

Georgia:
earthquakes

Germany:
flooding

Ghana:
dry, dusty, 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 is an active volcano

Guam:
frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (especially in August)

Guatemala:
numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject 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:
Heard Island is dominated by a dormant volcano called Big Ben

Holy See (Vatican City):
NA

Honduras:
frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes and floods along 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, severe thunderstorms common; earthquakes

Indonesia:
occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes

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

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

Jarvis Island:
the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard

Jersey:
NA

Johnston Atoll:
NA

Jordan:
NA

Juan de Nova Island:
periodic cyclones

Kazakhstan:
earthquakes in the south, mud slides around Almaty

Kenya:
recurring drought in northern and eastern regions; 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 sea-level rise

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 inordinate amounts of 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, and blight

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:
NA

Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of:
high seismic risks

Madagascar:
periodic cyclones

Malawi:
NA

Malaysia:
flooding, landslides

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

Malta:
NA

Man, Isle of:
NA

Marshall Islands:
occasional 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 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 can occur in the spring; grassland fires

Montserrat:
severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (full-scale eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano occurred during 1996-97)

Morocco:
northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts

Mozambique:
severe droughts and floods occur in central and southern provinces; devastating cyclones

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:
the extensive system of dikes and dams protects nearly one-half of the total area from being flooded

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, and occasionally severe hurricanes

Niger:
recurring droughts

Nigeria:
periodic droughts

Niue:
typhoons

Norfolk Island:
typhoons (especially May to July)

Northern Mariana Islands:
active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)

Norway:
NA

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 phenomenon occurs off the coast of Peru, when the trade winds slacken and the warm Equatorial countercurrent moves south, killing the plankton that is the primary food source for anchovies; consequently, the anchovies move to better feeding grounds, causing resident marine birds to starve by the thousands because of the loss of their food source; 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:
NA

Papua New Guinea:
active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Rim 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:
NA

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 Birunga 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

Serbia and Montenegro:
destructive earthquakes

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 (November to May); sandstorms, dust storms

Singapore:
NA

Slovakia:
NA

Slovenia:
flooding and earthquakes

Solomon Islands:
typhoons, but they are 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

Suriname:
NA

Svalbard:
ice floes often block up 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:
NA

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

Tajikistan:
NA

Tanzania:
the tsetse fly; 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 sea-level rise

Uganda:
NA

Ukraine:
NA

United Arab Emirates:
frequent sand and dust storms

United Kingdom:
NA

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 in weather fronts

Uzbekistan:
NA

Vanuatu:
tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes

Venezuela:
subject to floods, rockslides, mud slides; periodic droughts

Vietnam:
occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding

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:
NA

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

Zambia:
tropical storms (November to April)

Zimbabwe:
recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Taiwan:
earthquakes and typhoons

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