In a total of 7 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 365 a total of 2,215 people died in Spain. Compared to other countries, Tsunamis therefore occur rather rarely.
The strongest tidal wave registered in Spain so far reached a height of 18.30 meters. At this Tsunami on 11/01/1755 a total of 2,214 people have been killed.
The marked positions on the map represent the most effected regions within the past 1700 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 Spain since 0365
Date
Cause
max wave height
Deaths
Total damage
07/16/2018
Meteorological event in Spain (Balearic Islands)
0 m
1
06/15/2006
Meteorological event in Spain (Ciutadella, Menorca Island)
6 m
0
05/21/2003
Earthquake in Algeria (N. Algeria) with a magnitude of 6.8.
3 m
0
08/21/1856
Earthquake in Algeria (Sea Of Alboran)
0 m
0
11/01/1755
Earthquake in Portugal (Lisbon) with a magnitude of 8.5. The tsunami caused damages in 12 further countries. A total of 50,000 humans died.
18.30 m
2,214
05/05/1706
Volcano in Spain (Tenerife, Canary Islands)
0 m
0
07/21/0365
Earthquake in Greece (Crete) with a magnitude of 8.0. The tsunami also reached Egypt, Turkey, Greece. A total of 5,000 humans died.
0 m
0
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.