Let’s shake it up with a list of the 11 countries with most earthquakes. Earthquakes have been one of the most devastating natural disasters humans have experienced. A slight movement of the earth’s crust can violently recreate the land that we know, creating new formations, destroying old ones, and even dragging a few into the depth of oceans. We’ve witnessed some major cataclysms caused by very strong earthquakes, cities razed and people dead, tsunamis from strong earthquakes originating from the middle of the ocean. Earthquakes have been known to create one of the highest death tolls to our global population. Even with advancements in trying to make our structures more resilient to the movement of the plates, we are still subject to the power of the land we live in.
In answering the question of countries with the most earthquakes we have to consider a number of factors, from how many they experience and how strong each earthquake is, we’ll also look at the location and the frequency both recently and historically. If you’re trying to research more on dangers in the world, check out this informative list of The 9 Most Dangerous Countries for Tourists to Visit.
Do you happen to live in a country that experiences this kind of power and shaking frequently? What other countries do you feel are included in this list? There have been a few global disasters attributed to earthquakes in recent years. Let’s see which makes this list:
11. Turkey
With the country sitting on four seismic plates, every part of the country can be vulnerable any time when considering earthquakes. The country has been hit in the past with magnitudes ranging from 6-7.2, and it’s not uncommon for people to actually experience mild shakes on the ground daily.
10. Iran
Iran has had a history of being in an active seismic zone, with a long record of earthquakes in the past; they have had a few of the more devastating earthquakes in history with regards to devastation and damage done both to property and lives.
9. China
Much like Iran, a good part of the large China falls under some active seismic zones. China has seen its share of earthquakes with a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale. The most notable of the earthquakes is the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake which was the deadliest of all time claiming 860000 lives approximately.
8. Tonga
When we consider just how many earthquakes an area can experience we’d have to consider the small area of Tonga. Just in the past year they have experienced 113 earthquakes around different areas with some frequenting other places more.
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7. Mexico
Just last year Mexico was hit with a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, most earthquakes have been devastating for this country mainly due to poor designs for buildings and infrastructure. The country itself is located on three seismic plates and is considered one of the most active in the world.
6. Philippines
The densely populated archipelago that is the Philippines is located at what is called the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, mainly due to the number of active seismic plates and volcanoes. The country itself has in recent years experienced devastating earthquakes, eruptions, tsunamis and typhoons.
With a lot of devastation and power to be taken from the first half of this list, we have not yet even come close to how much earthquakes can happen in the next countries on the list. Let’s move on to the next one of the 11 countries with most earthquakes.
5. Ecuador
Residing on two active plates, most part of which are connected and nearby active volcanoes, Ecuador faces a very dangerous threat even with just one earthquake. Much devastation has been caused in the country in recorded past.
4. India
One of the only countries that have had a division of the country based on earthquake intensity levels, India has one of the most active seismic plates on the planet. Consistently bringing destruction to poorly made structures and even tsunamis among the southern area of the country.
3. Nepal
In 1934, Nepal was hit with an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.2, it was one of the greatest disasters made by an earthquake in history. The country itself has such a high mortality rate due to earthquakes and it’s more likely that you get killed here by an earthquake than any other country in the world.
2. Japan
Another country that is under the dangerous “Ring of Fire”, Japan has had one of the most deadly tsunamis in recent years due to an earthquake back in 2011. These events have even led partly to the collapse of their nuclear power plant.
1. Indonesia
Due to the large area of Indonesia, they take the most number of earthquakes in a year scattered throughout their country. Their country is also vulnerable to volcanic eruption alongside the earthquakes. It’s not uncommon to encounter earthquakes of approximately 6 in magnitude in the country.
There you have our list of the 11 countries with most earthquakes; remember to always prepare, be aware and take care when travelling or living in these countries.
