The Global Distribution of Geophysical Hazards

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The Global Distribution of Geophysical Hazards

Fig.1 Global distribution of highest-risk disaster hotspots by hazard type

Fig.1 shows the risk to human populations from naturally occurring hazards. It does not therefore map the actual global occurrence of hazard types but gives a rough outline of the distribution given that humans populate most parts of the world. Discrepancies, however, are noticeable; for example, although there is a high risk of death by drought in Africa the risk of death is not great in central Australia.

The map implies that there is a general north south divide where mortality rates are concerned; rates are much higher in LEDCs (South) than MEDCs (North). The two biggest killers are drought and hydro-related hazards. Africa is the region most affected by drought, particularly in areas around the equator e.g the Sahel covering Ethiopia, Niger etc. Flooding affects mostly coastal areas, particularly those in India, Bangladesh, eastern China, and the Caribbean. These areas are also especially vulnerable to monsoons, hurricanes and storms.

The areas at highest risk from multiple hazards are disaster hotspots such as Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Japan, and west coast of Mexico/California; the circle of coastal regions around