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Natural hazards
This entry lists potential natural disasters.
Source: CIA-World Factbook
 
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  
 

American Virgin Islands

several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes  
 

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   
 

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  
 

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 Oct  
 

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 along rivers and 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 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 s  
 

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 November (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  
 

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  
 

European Union

flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic   
 

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  
 

Iraq

dust storms, sandstorms, floods  
 

Ireland

NA  
 

Isle of Man

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 and 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

high seismic risks  
 

Madagascar

periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation  
 

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  
 

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 1995)