Chapter 201
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
Pakistan frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
Palau typhoons (June to December)
Panama occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area
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
Paracel Islands typhoons
Paraguay local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
Peru earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity
Philippines astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis
Pitcairn Islands typhoons (especially November to March)
Poland flooding
Portugal Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Puerto Rico periodic droughts; hurricanes
Qatar haze, dust storms, sandstorms common
Romania earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
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
Rwanda periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Saint Helena active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961
Saint Kitts and Nevis hurricanes (July to October)
Saint Lucia hurricanes and volcanic activity
Saint Pierre and Miquelon persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat
Samoa occasional typhoons; active volcanism
San Marino NA
Sao Tome and Principe NA
Saudi Arabia frequent sand and dust storms
Senegal lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
Serbia destructive earthquakes
Seychelles lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible
Sierra Leone dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Singapore NA
Slovakia NA
Slovenia flooding and earthquakes
Solomon Islands typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis
Somalia recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season
South Africa prolonged droughts
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
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
Spain periodic droughts
Spratly Islands typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious maritime hazard
Sri Lanka occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Sudan dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
Suriname NA
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
Swaziland drought
Sweden ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
Switzerland avalanches, landslides, flash floods
Syria dust storms, sandstorms
Taiwan earthquakes and typhoons
Tajikistan earthquakes and floods
Tanzania flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought
Thailand land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts
Timor-Leste floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones
Togo hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
Tokelau lies in Pacific typhoon belt
Tonga cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou
Trinidad and Tobago outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
Tunisia NA
Turkey severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Turkmenistan NA
Turks and Caicos Islands frequent hurricanes
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
Uganda NA
Ukraine NA
United Arab Emirates frequent sand and dust storms
United Kingdom winter windstorms; floods
United States tsunamis, volcanoes, and 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
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
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
Uzbekistan 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
Venezuela subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts
Vietnam occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Virgin Islands several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes
Wake Island occasional typhoons
Wallis and Futuna NA
West Bank droughts
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
World large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
Yemen sandstorms and dust storms in summer
Zambia periodic drought, tropical storms (November to April)
Zimbabwe recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
======================================================================
@2022 People - note
Cook Islands 2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017
Cuba illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border
Germany second most populous country in Europe after Russia
Rwanda Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
Trinidad and Tobago in 2007, the government of Trinidad and Tobago estimated the population to be 1.3 million
Turks and Caicos Islands destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and the US
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008
======================================================================
@2023 Area - comparative
Afghanistan slightly smaller than Texas
Akrotiri about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Albania slightly smaller than Maryland
Algeria slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
American Samoa slightly larger than Washington, DC
Andorra 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Angola slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Anguilla about half the size of Washington, DC
Antarctica slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US
Antigua and Barbuda 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Arctic Ocean slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US
Argentina slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Armenia slightly smaller than Maryland
Aruba slightly larger than Washington, DC
Ashmore and Cartier Islands about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Atlantic Ocean slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US
Australia slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states
Austria slightly smaller than Maine
Azerbaijan slightly smaller than Maine
Bahamas, The slightly smaller than Connecticut
Bahrain 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Bangladesh slightly smaller than Iowa
Barbados 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Belarus slightly smaller than Kansas
Belgium about the size of Maryland
Belize slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Benin slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Bermuda about one-third the size of Washington, DC
Bhutan about one-half the size of Indiana
Bolivia slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Bosnia and Herzegovina slightly smaller than West Virginia
Botswana slightly smaller than Texas
Bouvet Island about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Brazil slightly smaller than the US
British Indian Ocean Territory land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
British Virgin Islands about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Brunei slightly smaller than Delaware
Bulgaria slightly larger than Tennessee
Burkina Faso slightly larger than Colorado
Burma slightly smaller than Texas
Burundi slightly smaller than Maryland
Cambodia slightly smaller than Oklahoma
Cameroon slightly larger than California
Canada somewhat larger than the US
Cape Verde slightly larger than Rhode Island
Cayman Islands 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Central African Republic slightly smaller than Texas
Chad slightly more than three times the size of California
Chile slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
China slightly smaller than the US
Christmas Island about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Clipperton Island about 12 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Cocos (Keeling) Islands about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Colombia slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Comoros slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
Congo, Democratic Republic of the slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Congo, Republic of the slightly smaller than Montana
Cook Islands 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Coral Sea Islands NA
Costa Rica slightly smaller than West Virginia
Cote d'Ivoire slightly larger than New Mexico
Croatia slightly smaller than West Virginia
Cuba slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Cyprus about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Czech Republic slightly smaller than South Carolina
Denmark slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts
Dhekelia about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Djibouti slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Dominica slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC
Dominican Republic slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Ecuador slightly smaller than Nevada
Egypt slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
El Salvador slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Equatorial Guinea slightly smaller than Maryland
Eritrea slightly larger than Pennsylvania
Estonia slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
Ethiopia slightly less than twice the size of Texas
European Union less than one-half the size of the US
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) slightly smaller than Connecticut
Faroe Islands eight times the size of Washington, DC
Fiji slightly smaller than New Jersey
Finland slightly smaller than Montana
France slightly less than the size of Texas
French Polynesia slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): less than one-half the size of Washington, DC Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): more than 10 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Iles Crozet: about twice the size of Washington, DC Iles Kerguelen: a little larger than Delaware Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): land area about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Europa Island (Iles Eparses): about one-sixth the size of Washington, DC Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses): about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Gabon slightly smaller than Colorado
Gambia, The slightly less than twice the size of Delaware
Gaza Strip slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Georgia slightly smaller than South Carolina
Germany slightly smaller than Montana
Ghana slightly smaller than Oregon
Gibraltar a little less than one half the size of Rhode Island
Greece slightly smaller than Alabama
Greenland slightly more than three times the size of Texas
Grenada twice the size of Washington, DC
Guam three times the size of Washington, DC
Guatemala slightly smaller than Tennessee
Guernsey about one-half the size of Washington, DC
Guinea slightly smaller than Oregon
Guinea-Bissau slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Guyana slightly smaller than Idaho
Haiti slightly smaller than Maryland
Heard Island and McDonald Islands slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Holy See (Vatican City) about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Honduras slightly larger than Tennessee
Hong Kong six times the size of Washington, DC
Hungary slightly smaller than Indiana
Iceland slightly smaller than Kentucky
India slightly more than one-third the size of the US
Indian Ocean about 5.5 times the size of the US
Indonesia slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Iran slightly larger than Alaska
Iraq slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
Ireland slightly larger than West Virginia
Isle of Man slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC
Israel slightly smaller than New Jersey
Italy slightly larger than Arizona
Jamaica slightly smaller than Connecticut
Jan Mayen slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Japan slightly smaller than California
Jersey about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC
Jordan slightly smaller than Indiana
Kazakhstan slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Kenya slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Kiribati four times the size of Washington, DC
Korea, North slightly smaller than Mississippi
Korea, South slightly larger than Indiana
Kosovo slightly larger than Delaware
Kuwait slightly smaller than New Jersey
Kyrgyzstan slightly smaller than South Dakota
Laos slightly larger than Utah
Latvia slightly larger than West Virginia
Lebanon about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Lesotho slightly smaller than Maryland
Liberia slightly larger than Tennessee
Libya slightly larger than Alaska
Liechtenstein about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Lithuania slightly larger than West Virginia
Luxembourg slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Macau less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC
Macedonia slightly larger than Vermont
Madagascar slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
Malawi slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Malaysia slightly larger than New Mexico
Maldives about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Mali slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Malta slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Marshall Islands about the size of Washington, DC
Mauritania slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Mauritius almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
Mayotte slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Mexico slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Micronesia, Federated States of four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only)
Moldova slightly larger than Maryland
Monaco about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Mongolia slightly smaller than Alaska
Montenegro slightly smaller than Connecticut
Montserrat about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC
Morocco slightly larger than California
Mozambique slightly less than twice the size of California
Namibia slightly more than half the size of Alaska
Nauru about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Navassa Island about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Nepal slightly larger than Arkansas
Netherlands slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Netherlands Antilles more than five times the size of Washington, DC
New Caledonia slightly smaller than New Jersey
New Zealand about the size of Colorado
Nicaragua slightly smaller than the state of New York
Niger slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Nigeria slightly more than twice the size of California
Niue 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Norfolk Island about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC
Northern Mariana Islands 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Norway slightly larger than New Mexico
Oman slightly smaller than Kansas
Pacific Ocean about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world
Pakistan slightly less than twice the size of California
Palau slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Panama slightly smaller than South Carolina
Papua New Guinea slightly larger than California
Paracel Islands NA
Paraguay slightly smaller than California
Peru slightly smaller than Alaska
Philippines slightly larger than Arizona
Pitcairn Islands about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Poland slightly smaller than New Mexico
Portugal slightly smaller than Indiana
Puerto Rico slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
Qatar slightly smaller than Connecticut
Romania slightly smaller than Oregon
Russia approximately 1.8 times the size of the US
Rwanda slightly smaller than Maryland
Saint Barthelemy less than an eighth of the size of Washington, DC
Saint Helena slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Saint Kitts and Nevis 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Saint Lucia 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Saint Martin more than one-third the size of Washington, DC
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines twice the size of Washington, DC
Samoa slightly smaller than Rhode Island
San Marino about one third times the size of Washington, DC
Sao Tome and Principe more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Saudi Arabia slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US
Senegal slightly smaller than South Dakota
Serbia slightly smaller than South Carolina
Seychelles 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Sierra Leone slightly smaller than South Carolina
Singapore slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Slovakia about twice the size of New Hampshire
Slovenia slightly smaller than New Jersey
Solomon Islands slightly smaller than Maryland
Somalia slightly smaller than Texas
South Africa slightly less than twice the size of Texas
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands slightly larger than Rhode Island
Southern Ocean slightly more than twice the size of the US
Spain slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
Spratly Islands NA
Sri Lanka slightly larger than West Virginia
Sudan slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US
Suriname slightly larger than Georgia
Svalbard slightly smaller than West Virginia
Swaziland slightly smaller than New Jersey
Sweden slightly larger than California
Switzerland slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Syria slightly larger than North Dakota
Taiwan slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Tajikistan slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Tanzania slightly larger than twice the size of California
Thailand slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming
Timor-Leste slightly larger than Connecticut
Togo slightly smaller than West Virginia
Tokelau about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Tonga four times the size of Washington, DC
Trinidad and Tobago slightly smaller than Delaware
Tunisia slightly larger than Georgia
Turkey slightly larger than Texas
Turkmenistan slightly larger than California
Turks and Caicos Islands 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Tuvalu 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Uganda slightly smaller than Oregon
Ukraine slightly smaller than Texas
United Arab Emirates slightly smaller than Maine
United Kingdom slightly smaller than Oregon
United States about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges Baker Island: about two and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Howland Island: about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Jarvis Island: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Johnston Atoll: about four and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Kingman Reef: a little more than one and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Midway Islands: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Palmyra Atoll: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Uruguay slightly smaller than the state of Washington
Uzbekistan slightly larger than California
Vanuatu slightly larger than Connecticut
Venezuela slightly more than twice the size of California
Vietnam slightly larger than New Mexico
Virgin Islands twice the size of Washington, DC