The CIA World Factbook Edition 1998 Geography
Natural hazards In 29 editions of 36.
Natural hazards was published in 29 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1997 to 2025. The 1998 edition carries it in 265 entries, in its Geography section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 1998 edition
- 265
- the first edition with it
- 1997
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Natural hazards” (1997 to 2025).
the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Natural hazards, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.
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Entries with Natural hazards in each edition
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World
1 entryWorld
large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
Africa
62 entriesBassas da India
maritime hazard since it is usually under water during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones
Botswana
- periodic droughts;
- seasonal August winds blow from the west,
- carrying sand and dust across the country,
- which can obscure visibility
Cape Verde now Cabo Verde
- prolonged droughts;
- harmattan wind can obscure visibility;
- volcanically and seismically active
Comoros
cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Mount Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano
Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo
periodic droughts in south; volcanic activity
Cote d'Ivoire
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
Djibouti
- earthquakes;
- droughts;
- occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods
Egypt
- periodic droughts;
- frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, volcanic activity;
- hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring;
- dust storms, sandstorms
Ethiopia
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Libya
hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
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
Reunion
periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano
Rwanda
periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Sierra Leone
- dry,
- sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (November to May);
- sandstorms,
- dust storms
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
Antarctic Region
5 entriesAntarctica
- 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
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
Arctic Region
4 entriesSvalbard
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
Asia
23 entriesBangladesh
droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely flooded during the summer monsoon season
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
China
- frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts);
- damaging floods;
- tsunamis;
- earthquakes;
- droughts
Japan
- many dormant and some active volcanoes;
- about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year;
- tsunamis
Korea, North now North Korea
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Korea, South now South Korea
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest
Nepal
severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Pakistan
frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
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
Central America and the Caribbean
32 entriesBahamas, The now The Bahamas
hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage
Belize
frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Costa Rica
- occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast;
- frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season;
- active volcanoes
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
Dominica
flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months
El Salvador
known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
Guatemala
numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms
Haiti
- lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October;
- occasional flooding and earthquakes;
- periodic droughts
Honduras
- frequent,
- but generally mild,
- earthquakes;
- damaging hurricanes and floods along Caribbean coast
Martinique
hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years)
Montserrat
severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (full-scale eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano occurred during 1996)
Netherlands Antilles
- Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so are rarely threatened;
- Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat
Virgin Islands
several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts, floods, and earthquakes
Europe
45 entriesBelgium
flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
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
Italy
- regional risks include landslides,
- mudflows,
- avalanches,
- earthquakes,
- volcanic eruptions,
- flooding;
- land subsidence in Venice
Netherlands
the extensive system of dikes and dams, protects nearly one-half of the total area from being flooded
Romania
earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
Sweden
- ice floes in the surrounding waters,
- especially in the Gulf of Bothnia,
- can interfere with maritime traffic
Middle East
17 entriesIran
- periodic droughts, floods;
- dust storms, sandstorms;
- earthquakes along western border and in the northeast
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
Turkey now Turkiye
very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
North America
6 entriesCanada
- 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
Mexico
tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Gulf and Caribbean coasts
United States
- tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin;
- hurricanes along the Atlantic coast;
- tornadoes in the midwest;
- mud slides in California;
- forest fires in the west;
- flooding;
- permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development
Oceania
34 entriesGuam
frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (especially in August)
Kingman Reef
wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
Northern Mariana Islands
active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)
Papua New Guinea
- active volcanism;
- situated along the Pacific "Rim of Fire";
- the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes;
- mud slides
Solomon Islands
- typhoons, but they are rarely destructive;
- geologically active region with frequent earth tremors;
- volcanic activity
South America
14 entriesArgentina
- 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
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)
Paraguay
local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
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
Southeast Asia
18 entriesBurma now Burma (Myanmar)
- destructive earthquakes and cyclones;
- flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September);
- periodic droughts
Philippines
- astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year;
- landslides;
- active volcanoes;
- destructive earthquakes;
- tsunamis
Oceans
4 entriesArctic 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 icelocked from October to June;
- ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May
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;
- icebergs from Antarctica occur in the extreme southern Atlantic Ocean;
- ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May and extreme southern Atlantic from May to October;
- persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September
Indian Ocean
ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme south near Antarctica from May to October
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);
- southern shipping lanes subject to icebergs from Antarctica;
- 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 and in extreme south from May to October;
- persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 1998, “Natural hazards”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/natural-hazards/1998.