Indian Ocean tsunami

Indian Ocean tsunami

▪ 2004
 tsunami that hit the coasts of several countries of South and Southeast Asia in December 2004. The tsunami and its aftermath were responsible for immense destruction and loss on the rim of the Indian Ocean.

      On Dec. 26, 2004, at 7:59 AM local time, an undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Over the next seven hours, a tsunami—a series of immense ocean waves— triggered by the quake reached out across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastal areas as far away as East Africa. Some locations reported that the waves had reached a height of 30 feet (9 metres) or more when they hit the shoreline.

      The tsunami killed at least 225,000 people across a dozen countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand sustaining massive damage. Indonesian officials estimated that the death toll there alone ultimately exceeded 200,000, particularly in northern Sumatra's Aceh province. Tens of thousands were reported dead or missing in Sri Lanka and India, a large number of them from the Indian Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory. The low-lying island country of Maldives reported more than a hundred casualties and immense economic damage. Several thousand non-Asian tourists vacationing in the region also were reported dead or missing. The lack of food, clean water, and medical treatment—combined with the enormous task faced by relief workers trying to get supplies into some remote areas where roads had been destroyed or where civil war raged—extended the list of casualties. Long-term environmental damage was severe as well, with villages, tourist resorts, farmland, and fishing grounds demolished or inundated with debris, bodies, and plant-killing salt water.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System — The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System is a tsunami warning system set up to provide warning to inhabitants of nations bordering the Indian Ocean of approaching tsunamis. It was agreed to in a United Nations conference held in January 2005 in… …   Wikipedia

  • Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System — Die Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) ist eine zwischenstaatliche Kommission der UNESCO zur Ozeanografie. Die IOC stellt den Mitgliedsstaaten der UN eine Plattform zum Austausch von wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen und technischem… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Indian Ocean — This article is about the water body. For the Indian fusion music band, see Indian Ocean (band). The Indian Ocean, not including the Antarctic region. Earth s oceans (World Ocean) …   Wikipedia

  • 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami — 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake Tsunami strikes Ao Nang, Thailand. Date 00:58:53, December 26 …   Wikipedia

  • 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake — Earthquake title = 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake date = December 26, 2004 depth = 30 km (19 mi) location = coord|3.316|N|95.854|E|type:landmark scale:50000000|display=inline,title Tsunami strikes Ao Nang, Thailand. type = undersea (subduction)… …   Wikipedia

  • Humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake — The humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was prompted by one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. On 26 December 2004, the earthquake, which struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra,… …   Wikipedia

  • Timeline of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake — Although, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Hawaii eventually issued warnings of a possible tsunami from the huge earthquake off Sumatra, the waves outran… …   Wikipedia

  • Library damage resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake — has been reported in six Asian countries. On December 26, the massive 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake struck off of the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The resulting tsunamis killed more than 180,000 people. In addition to the… …   Wikipedia

  • Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Somalia — The effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Somalia was devastating. Villages and coastal communities in Somalia, as far as 4,500 km (2,800 miles) from the epicentre of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, were swept away and destroyed by the… …   Wikipedia

  • Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Finland — The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, by far the worst disaster in the number of lives lost during peacetime Finland, killed 179 Finns in Thailand and Sri Lanka, and caused widespread public debate and investigations into the actions of Finnish… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”