We all are aware of the fact that even the crust of the earth that appears to be solid and firm is composed of many tectonic or seismic plates lying deep under the crust. The places where two or more of these plates meet are known to us as fault lines.
These plates are consistently in a very slow and gradual motion and whenever two plates collide at even the smallest scale the countries located over the fault lines bear great destruction and devastation which is termed as the earthquake.
Earthquake comprises of series of tremors which initiate from the point of epicenter than they travel to thousands of miles away, destroying everything over the surface coming in its way. The magnitude of destruction and loss of lives and wealth is the direct corollary to the magnitude of the earthquake which is measured on the Richter scale.
The highest of the magnitude ever recorded was 9.2 M on the Richter scale and millions of people lost their precious lives. Today we will discuss the Top 10 Countries Most Vulnerable To Earthquakes.
TOP 10 COUNTRIES MOST VULNERABLE TO EARTHQUAKES – HIT LIST
There are some unfortunate nations that suffer from such calamities and loss more often than others. As they are located over very active fault lines and are often hit by catastrophic earthquakes and disasters like tsunamis. Let’s find out about the countries which are most prone to earthquakes:
10. INDONESIA
Indonesia is one of the most beautiful countries in Asia but on the other hand also most vulnerable to natural disasters and earthquakes. Almost after every one year or two, the country is hit by a large-scale earthquake or small tremors which destruct buildings, homes, and priceless human lives. It has experienced high scale earthquakes which even recorded to be 6.1 on the Richter scale.
9. TURKEY:
The geography of Turkey puts it in an extremely dangerous position as it is located in the seismic zone which lies exactly between the African, Arabian, and Eurasian plates. So a slight movement of any of these plates can cause a big boom over the surface.
The country’s history is also full of earthquakes which ranged from 6 to 7.2 on the Richter scale. The country is so prone to earthquakes that it has become a matter of great concern worldwide.
8. MEXICO:
It is not the earthquakes that caused the more damage but the infrastructure of the country which is so poorly constructed that even the small-scale earthquake has brought the great destruction of buildings and houses. Consequently, people had to lose their lives. Unfortunately, Mexico also lies on the junction of three seismic plates of North America, the Pacific Plate, and the Cocos plate which makes it more vulnerable to earthquakes. The highest of all was 7.2 on the Richter scale which had destroyed almost the entire city of Guerrero.
7. EL SALVADOR
El Salvador is the Central American state that has been the victim of most natural disasters and earthquakes. The people of Salvador have suffered a great loss of property and lives.
The history of earthquakes in the country goes back to 1576 and continues to the recent years. The range of the magnitude remained between 6.6 to 8 on the Richter scale.
6. PAKISTAN:
Pakistan is also one of the unfortunate and earthquake-afflicted countries which are located at the junction of both the Indian and Eurasian plates, half of the region including Punjab and Sindh lies on the Indian plate while the other half i.e. Baluchistan is located over the Eurasian plate.
Therefore the regions situating on the fault lines receive high shocks during the earthquakes. Thousands of people lost their lives and millions became homeless when the highest recorded earthquake of 7.8 on the Richter scale hit the northern valleys of Pakistan.
5. PHILIPPINES
The Philippines resides on the same ring of fire located under the Pacific seabed, hence it receives the most of its impact. As the country is nothing but an island any disturbance over the ocean surface not only causes land destruction but also brings large-scale floods or tsunamis.
The severity of the calamity had gotten so high once that it caused a deadly volcanic eruption that claimed many lives.
4. ECUADOR
Ecuador is in 4th place in the list of Countries Most Vulnerable To Earthquakes. It is the land of active volcanoes which are located in various regions of the country. Thus it not only suffers from massive eruptions but also large-scale tremors and shocks.
It is mainly located on the verge of Nazca and South American plate and is the hub of the many fault lines passing through it which primarily includes Pallatanga, Quito, and Chingual fault lines.
3. INDIA
Several deadly earthquakes had remained a part of the history of India and that is mainly the result of the movement of the Indian plate lying beneath its soil which is estimated to be 47 mm per year.
The Southern states of India received the most impact through tsunamis while the rest of the country bore the great loss of life and property after many severe jolts of quakes.
2. NEPAL
Nepal is at 2nd number in the list of Countries Most Vulnerable To Earthquakes. Nepal shares the same ground as do the other South Asian countries hence it is also quite vulnerable to devastating earthquakes.
No other nation has experienced such large-scale human loss through earthquake than the Nepalese. The highest and the most destructive ever recorded in history which struck Nepal in 1934, recorded to be 8.2 on the Richter scale.
1. JAPAN
Japan is the country that is at the top of the list of countries most vulnerable to earthquakes. It is most famous for its large-scale earthquakes and suffers from this catastrophe the most. The region over which it is located is known as the “ring of fire.”
The reason gets pretty clear once you have a glance over the history of Japan. The subduction of the Philippine plate under the Okinawa and American plates has been causing intense tremors for years. The worst of all was the earthquake of March 2011 which had cost thousands of lives.
