Part 237
Mali lowest point: Senegal River 23 m highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m
Malta lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli)
Marshall Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
Mauritania lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
Mauritius lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Piton 828 m
Mayotte lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mlima Benara 660 m
Mexico lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
Micronesia, Federated States of lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Dolohmwar (Totolom) 791 m
Moldova lowest point: Dniester (Nistru) 2 m highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m
Monaco lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Agel 140 m
Mongolia lowest point: Hoh Nuur 560 m highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m
Montenegro lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m
Montserrat lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006)
Morocco lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m
Mozambique lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m
Namibia lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m
Nauru lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed elevation along plateau rim 61 m
Navassa Island lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed elevation on southwest side 77 m
Nepal lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Netherlands lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m (on the island of Saba in the Caribbean, now considered an integral part of the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles) note: the highest point on continental Netherlands is Vaalserberg at 322 m
New Caledonia lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m
New Zealand lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m
Nicaragua lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m
Niger lowest point: Niger River 200 m highest point: Idoukal-n-Taghes 2,022 m
Nigeria lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m
Niue lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed elevation near Mutalau settlement 68 m
Norfolk Island lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Bates 319 m
Northern Mariana Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed elevation on Agrihan 965 m
Norway lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m
Oman lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m
Pacific Ocean lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m
Pakistan lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Palau lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m
Panama lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan Baru 3,475 m
Papua New Guinea lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m
Paracel Islands lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m
Paraguay lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m highest point: Cerro Pero 842 m
Peru lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m
Philippines lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m
Pitcairn Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Big Ridge 347 m
Poland lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m highest point: Rysy 2,499 m
Portugal lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m
Puerto Rico lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m
Qatar lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Tuwayyir al Hamir 103 m
Romania lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m
Russia lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m
Rwanda lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Saint Barthelemy lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 m
Saint Kitts and Nevis lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m
Saint Lucia lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m
Saint Martin lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m
Saint Pierre and Miquelon lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m
Samoa lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Silisili 1,857 m
San Marino lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m highest point: Monte Titano 755 m
Sao Tome and Principe lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m
Saudi Arabia lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m
Senegal lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed elevation southwest of Kedougou 581 m
Serbia lowest point: Danube and Timok Rivers 35 m highest point: Midzor 2,169 m
Seychelles lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m
Sierra Leone lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Singapore lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Sint Maarten lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Flagstaff 386 m
Slovakia lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m
Slovenia lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Triglav 2,864 m
Solomon Islands lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Popomanaseu 2,310 m
Somalia lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m
South Africa lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m
Southern Ocean lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench highest point: sea level 0 m
Spain lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m
Spratly Islands lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m
Sri Lanka lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Sudan lowest point: Red Sea 0 m highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m
Suriname lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m
Svalbard lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m
Swaziland lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m
Sweden lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.4 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m
Switzerland lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Syria lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Taiwan lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Tajikistan lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni (Pik Imeni Ismail Samani) 7,495 m
Tanzania lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m
Thailand lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m
Timor-Leste lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m
Togo lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Agou 986 m
Tokelau lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Tonga lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed elevation on Kao Island 1,033 m
Trinidad and Tobago lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m
Tunisia lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
Turkey lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
Turkmenistan lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m note: Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
Turks and Caicos Islands lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Flamingo Hill 48 m
Tuvalu lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Uganda lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
Ukraine lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
United Arab Emirates lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
United Kingdom lowest point: The Fens -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
United States lowest point: Death Valley -86 m highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m note: the peak of Mauna Kea (4,207 m above sea level) on the island of Hawaii rises about 10,200 m above the Pacific Ocean floor; by this measurement, it is the world's tallest mountain - higher than Mount Everest, which is recognized as the tallest mountain above sea level
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Baker Island, unnamed location - 8 m; Howland Island, unnamed location - 3 m; Jarvis Island, unnamed location - 7 m; Johnston Atoll, Sand Island - 10 m; Kingman Reef, unnamed location - less than 2 m; Midway Islands, unnamed location - 13 m; Palmyra Atoll, unnamed location - 3 m
Uruguay lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m
Uzbekistan lowest point: Sariqamish Kuli -12 m highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m
Vanuatu lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m
Venezuela lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Bolivar 5,007 m
Vietnam lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m
Virgin Islands lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m
Wake Island lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 6 m
Wallis and Futuna lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Singavi (on Futuna) 765 m
West Bank lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Western Sahara lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m
World lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,555 m note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m top ten highest mountains (measured from sea level): Mount Everest (Nepal-China) 8,850 m; K2 (Pakistan) 8,611 m; Kanchenjunga (Nepal-India) 8,598 m; Lhotse (Nepal) 8,516 m; Makalu (Nepal-China) 8,463 m; Cho Oyu (Nepal-China) 8,201 m; Dhaulagiri (Nepal) 8,167 m; Manaslu (Nepal) 8,163 m; Nanga Parbat (Pakistan) 8,125 m; Anapurna (Nepal) 8,091 m
Yemen lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m
Zambia lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m highest point: unnamed elevation in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m
Zimbabwe lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save Rivers 162 m highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m
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@2021
Field Listing :: Natural hazards
This entry lists potential natural disasters. For countries where volcanic activity is common, a volcanism subfield highlights historically active volcanoes. Country
Natural hazards
Afghanistan damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Albania destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought
Algeria mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season
American Samoa typhoons common from December to March volcanism: American Samoa experiences limited volcanic activity on the Ofu and Olosega Islands, neither has erupted since the 19th century
Andorra avalanches
Angola locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau
Anguilla frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)
Antarctica 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
Antigua and Barbuda hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Arctic 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
Argentina 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 in some areas volcanism: Argentina experiences volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (elev. 2,997 m, 9,833 ft) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchon-Peteroa, San Jose, Tromen, Tupungatito, and Viedma
Armenia occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts
Aruba hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
Ashmore and Cartier Islands surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards
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)
Australia cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires volcanism: volcanic activity occurs on the Heard and McDonald Islands
Austria landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
Azerbaijan droughts
Bahamas, The hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage
Bahrain periodic droughts; dust storms
Bangladesh droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
Barbados infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Belarus NA
Belgium flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes
Belize frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Benin hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Bermuda hurricanes (June to November)
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
Bolivia flooding in the northeast (March-April) volcanism: Bolivia experiences volcanic activity in Andes Mountains on the border with Chile; historically active volcanoes in this region are Irruputuncu (elev. 5,163 m, 16,939 ft), which last erupted in 1995 and Olca-Paruma
Bosnia and Herzegovina destructive earthquakes
Botswana periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
Bouvet Island NA
Brazil recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south
British Indian Ocean Territory NA
British Virgin Islands hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Brunei typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare
Bulgaria earthquakes; landslides
Burkina Faso recurring droughts
Burma destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts
Burundi flooding; landslides; drought
Cambodia monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts
Cameroon volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes volcanism: Mt. Cameroon (elev. 4,095 m, 13,435 ft), which last erupted in 2000, is the most frequently active volcano in West Africa; lakes in Oku volcanic field have released fatal levels of gas on occasion, killing some 1,700 people in 1986
Canada 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 volcanism: the vast majority of volcanoes in Western Canada's Coast Mountains remain dormant
Cape Verde prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active volcanism: Fogo (elev. 2,829 m, 9,281 ft), which last erupted in 1995, is Cape Verde's only active volcano
Cayman Islands hurricanes (July to November)
Central African Republic hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common
Chad hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues
Chile severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis volcanism: Chile experiences significant volcanic activity due to the more than three-dozen active volcanoes situated within the Andes Mountains; Lascar (elev. 5,592 m, 18,346 ft), which last erupted in 2007, is the most active volcano in the northern Chilean Andes; Llaima (elev. 3,125 m, 10,253 ft) in central Chile, which last erupted in 2009, is another of the country's most active; Chaiten's 2008 eruption forced major evacuations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Cerro Hudson, Copahue, Guallatiri, Llullaillaco, Nevados de Chillan, San Pedro, and Villarrica
China frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence volcanism: China contains some historically active volcanoes including Changbaishan (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu, or P'aektu-san), Hainan Dao, and Kunlun although most have been relatively inactive in recent centuries
Christmas Island the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Clipperton Island NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands cyclone season is October to April
Colombia highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts volcanism: Galeras (elev. 4,276 m, 14,029 ft) is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes, having erupted in 2009 and 2010 causing major evacuations; it has been deemed a "Decade Volcano" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Nevado del Ruiz (elev. 5,321 m, 17,453 ft), 129 km (80 mi) west of Bogota, erupted in 1985 producing lahars that killed 23,000 people; the volcano last erupted in 1991; additionally, after 500 years of dormancy, Nevado del Huila reawakened in 2007 and has experienced frequent eruptions since then; other historically active volcanoes include Cumbal, Dona Juana, Nevado del Tolima, and Purace
Comoros cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); volcanic activity on Grand Comore volcanism: Karthala (elev. 2,361 m, 7,746 ft) on Grand Comore Island last erupted in 2007; a 2005 eruption forced thousands of people to be evacuated and produced a large ash cloud
Congo, Democratic Republic of the periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes volcanism: Nyiragongo (elev. 3,470 m, 11,384 ft), which erupted in 2002 and is experiencing ongoing activity, poses a major threat to the city of Goma, home to a quarter of a million people; the volcano produces unusually fast-moving lava, known to travel up to 100 km (60 mi)/hr; Nyiragongo has been deemed a "Decade Volcano" by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; its neighbor, Nyamuragira, which erupted in 2010, is Africa's most active volcano; Visoke is the only other historically active volcano
Congo, Republic of the seasonal flooding
Cook Islands typhoons (November to March)
Coral Sea Islands occasional tropical cyclones
Costa Rica occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes volcanism: Arenal (elev. 1,670 m, 5,479 ft), which erupted in 2010, is the most active volcano in Costa Rica; a 1968 eruption destroyed the town of Tabacon; Irazu (elev. 3,432 m, 11,260 ft), situated just east of San Jose, has the potential to spew ash over the capital city as it did between 1963 and 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Miravalles, Poas, Rincon de la Vieja, and Turrialba
Cote d'Ivoire coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible
Croatia destructive earthquakes
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
Curacao Curacao is south of the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
Cyprus moderate earthquake activity; droughts
Czech Republic flooding
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
Djibouti earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods volcanism: Djibouti experiences limited volcanic activity; Ardoukoba (elev. 298 m, 978 ft) last erupted in 1978; Manda-Inakir, located along the Ethiopian border, is also historically active
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