Tsunamis in Taiwan

In a total of 2 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1781 a total of 281 people died in Taiwan. Tsunamis therefore occur only rarely here.

The strongest tidal wave registered in Taiwan so far reached a height of 30 meters. At this Tsunami on 04/01/1781 only 1 person died.

The biggest impact in terms of lifes, injuries, destroyed homes and economy had been a tsunami on 12/18/1867. A tidal wave of up to 15 meters killed 280 humans and destroyed vast areas.

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The marked positions on the map represent the most effected regions within the past 240 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 Taiwan since 1781

Date	Cause	max wave height	Deaths	Total damage
12/18/1867	Earthquake in Taiwan (E. China Sea) with a magnitude of 7.0.	15 m	280
04/01/1781	Eruption in Taiwan (Kaohsiung)	30 m	1

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.