Tsunamis in Panama

In a total of 4 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1882 a total of 100 people died in Panama. Tsunamis therefore occur only rarely here.

The strongest tidal wave registered in Panama so far reached a height of 3 meters. At this Tsunami on 04/22/1991 no losses of human lifes have been registered.

The biggest impact in terms of lifes, injuries, destroyed homes and economy had been a tsunami on 09/07/1882. A tidal wave of up to 3 meters killed 100 humans and destroyed vast areas.

Other natural hazards in Panama:
› Earthquake
› The most severe natural disasters worldwide

Back to overview: Panama

The marked positions on the map represent the most effected regions within the past 140 years.

Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes or other seismic eruptions on ground of an oceans and can cause massive tidal waves, which run with enormous force on land, causing great devastation. Especially in regions with only few tsunamis, the damage is often drastic, as the population does not expect tsunamis and thus hardly takes any protective measures. Even relatively small flood waves can lead to high losses and financial damage.

The largest tsunamis in Panama since 1882

Date	Cause	max wave height	Deaths
04/22/1991	Earthquake in Costa Rica (Limon, Pandora) with a magnitude of 7.6.	3 m	0
07/18/1934	Earthquake in Panama (Costa Rica-Panama) with a magnitude of 7.7.	0 m	0
04/26/1916	Earthquake in Panama (Bocas Del Toro) with a magnitude of 7.0.	1.3 m	0
09/07/1882	Earthquake, landslide in Panama (San Blas Archipelago) with a magnitude of 7.9.	3 m	100

These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Global Historical Tsunami Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Several data have been summarized and translated.