Tsunamis in Taiwan

In a total of 16 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1781 a total of 75 people died in Taiwan. Compared to other countries, Tsunamis therefore occur more often than average, but still moderate.

The strongest tidal wave registered in Taiwan so far reached a height of 48 meters. At this Tsunami on 05/22/1960 a total of 12 people have been killed.

The biggest impact in terms of lifes, injuries, destroyed homes and economy had been a tsunami on 12/18/1867.

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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
03/11/2011	Earthquake in Japan (Honshu Island) with a magnitude of 9.1. The tsunami caused damages in 33 further countries. A total of 18,453 humans died.	unknown	2
03/31/2002	Earthquake in Taiwan (Taiwan) with a magnitude of 7.1.	unknown	16
11/26/1999	Earthquake in Vanuatu (Vanuatu Islands) with a magnitude of 7.5. The tsunami caused damages in 12 further countries. A total of 5 humans died.	unknown	4
09/05/1996	Earthquake in Taiwan (Taiwan Region) with a magnitude of 6.8.	unknown	6
02/17/1996	Earthquake in Indonesia (Irian Jaya) with a magnitude of 8.2. The tsunami also reached Canada, Japan, Indonesia, United States. A total of 110 humans died.	unknown	4
01/25/1972	Earthquake in Taiwan (E. Taiwan) with a magnitude of 7.5.	unknown	2
03/12/1966	Earthquake in Taiwan (E. Taiwan-Ryukyu Islands) with a magnitude of 7.6.	unknown	2
03/28/1964	Earthquake, landslide in the United States (Prince William Sound, Ak) with a magnitude of 9.2. The tsunami caused damages in 27 further countries. A total of 124 humans died.	unknown	2
10/13/1963	Earthquake in Russia (S. Kuril Islands) with a magnitude of 8.5. The tsunami caused damages in 9 further countries.	unknown	2
02/13/1963	Earthquake in Taiwan (E. Taiwan-Ryukyu Islands) with a magnitude of 7.3.	unknown	2
05/22/1960	Earthquake in Chile (Southern Chile) with a magnitude of 9.5. The tsunami caused damages in 31 further countries. A total of 2,226 humans died.	48m	12
10/22/1951	Earthquake in Taiwan (Taiwan) with a magnitude of 7.3.	unknown	2
11/11/1922	Earthquake in Chile (Northern Chile) with a magnitude of 8.7. The tsunami caused damages in 9 further countries. A total of 200 humans died.	48m	6
05/06/1917	Earthquake in Taiwan (Taiwan) with a magnitude of 5.8.	unknown	2
12/18/1867	Earthquake in Taiwan (E. China Sea) with a magnitude of 7.0.	unknown	10
04/01/1781	Eruption in Taiwan (Kaohsiung)	unknown	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.