The CIA World Factbook Edition 2009 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 2009 edition carries it in 254 entries, in its Geography section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 2009 edition
- 254
- 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
56 entriesBotswana
- 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;
- seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust;
- volcanically and seismically active
Cameroon
volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes
Comoros
cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Karthala on Grand Comore is an active volcano
Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo
- periodic droughts in south;
- Congo River floods (seasonal);
- in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes
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;
- 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
Mali
- hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons;
- recurring droughts;
- occasional Niger River flooding
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
Rwanda
periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Saint Helena now Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961
Sierra Leone
- dry,
- sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February);
- sandstorms,
- dust storms
Somalia
- recurring droughts;
- frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer;
- floods during rainy season
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;
- large icebergs may calve from ice shelf
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
- Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are inactive volcanoes;
- Iles Eparses subject to periodic cyclones;
- Bassas da India is a maritime hazard since it is under water for a period of three hours prior to and following the high tide and surrounded by reefs
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands now 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 entriesJan Mayen
- dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg;
- volcanic activity resumed in 1970;
- the most recent eruption occurred in 1985
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
Asia
23 entriesBangladesh
- droughts;
- cyclones;
- much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
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
China
- frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts);
- damaging floods;
- tsunamis;
- earthquakes;
- droughts;
- land subsidence
India
- droughts;
- flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains;
- severe thunderstorms;
- earthquakes
Japan
- many dormant and some active volcanoes;
- about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year;
- tsunamis;
- typhoons
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;
- spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European Russia
Central America and the Caribbean
30 entriesBahamas, The now The Bahamas
hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage
Belize
frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Costa Rica
- occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast;
- frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides;
- active volcanoes
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
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
El Salvador
- known as the Land of Volcanoes;
- frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity;
- extremely susceptible to hurricanes
Guatemala
numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible 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; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast
Montserrat
severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)
Netherlands Antilles
- Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October;
- Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened
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 and floods;
- occasional earthquakes
Europe
47 entriesBelgium
flooding is a threat along rivers and 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
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
France
- metropolitan France:
- flooding;
- avalanches;
- midwinter windstorms;
- drought;
- forest fires in south near the Mediterranean
- overseas departments:
- hurricanes (cyclones);
- flooding;
- volcanic activity (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion)
Italy
- regional risks include landslides,
- mudflows,
- avalanches,
- earthquakes,
- volcanic eruptions,
- flooding;
- land subsidence in Venice
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 entriesKuwait
- 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
Turkey now Turkiye
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 east of the mountains
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
United States
- tsunamis;
- volcanoes;
- 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
Oceania
28 entriesGuam
frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare but potentially destructive typhoons (June - December)
Kiribati
- typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;
- occasional tornadoes;
- low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level
Northern Mariana Islands
active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)
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
Solomon Islands
- typhoons, but rarely destructive;
- geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity;
- tsunamis
Tuvalu
severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
- Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands:
- the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
- Kingman Reef:
- wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of less than 2 m makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
- Midway Islands, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls:
- NA
Vanuatu
- tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April);
- volcanic eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began 27 November 2005, volcanism also causes minor earthquakes;
- tsunamis
South America
13 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
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 that 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
Southeast Asia
19 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
Vietnam
occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Oceans
5 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 ice locked 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;
- 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)
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
Southern Ocean
- huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters;
- smaller bergs and iceberg fragments;
- sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 m 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
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2009, “Natural hazards”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/natural-hazards/2009.