The 2008 CIA World Factbook, United States. Central Intelligence Agency [primary phonics books .TXT] 📗

of lowlands at onset of rainy season and
  landslides; active volcanoes

Cote d'Ivoire
  coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during
  the rainy season torrential flooding is possible

Croatia
  destructive earthquakes

Cuba
  the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November
  (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other
  year); droughts are common

Cyprus
  moderate earthquake activity; droughts

Czech Republic
  flooding

Denmark
  flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g.,
  parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland)
  that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes

Djibouti
  earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances
  from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods

Dominica
  flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes
  can be expected during the late summer months

Dominican Republic
  lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and
  subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding;
  periodic droughts

Ecuador
  frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods;
  periodic droughts

Egypt
  periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods,
  landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring;
  dust storms, sandstorms

El Salvador
  known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes
  destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible
  to hurricanes

Equatorial Guinea
  violent windstorms, flash floods

Eritrea
  frequent droughts; locust swarms

Estonia
  sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Ethiopia
  geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to
  earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts

European Union
  flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous
  area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy;
  periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
  strong winds persist throughout
  the year

Faroe Islands
  NA

Fiji
  cyclonic storms can occur from November to January

Finland
  NA

France
  metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter
  windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean
  overseas departments: hurricanes (cyclones), flooding, volcanic
  activity (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion)

French Polynesia
  occasional cyclonic storms in January

French Southern and Antarctic Lands
  Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul
  are inactive volcanoes; Iles Eparses subject to periodic cyclones;
  Bassas da India is a maritime hazard since it is under water for a
  period of three hours prior to and following the high tide and
  surrounded by reefs

Gabon
  NA

Gambia, The
  drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30
  years)

Gaza Strip
  droughts

Georgia
  earthquakes

Germany
  flooding

Ghana
  dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to
  March; droughts

Gibraltar
  NA

Greece
  severe earthquakes

Greenland
  continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the
  island

Grenada
  lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from
  June to November

Guam
  frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but
  potentially very destructive typhoons (June - December)

Guatemala
  numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent
  earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and
  other tropical storms

Guernsey
  NA

Guinea
  hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during
  dry season

Guinea-Bissau
  hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility
  during dry season; brush fires

Guyana
  flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons

Haiti
  lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe
  storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes;
  periodic droughts

Heard Island and McDonald Islands
  Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is
  on Heard Island

Holy See (Vatican City)
  NA

Honduras
  frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely
  susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean
  coast

Hong Kong
  occasional typhoons

Iceland
  earthquakes and volcanic activity

India
  droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive
  flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes

Indian Ocean
  occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in
  southern reaches

Indonesia
  occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes,
  volcanoes, forest fires

Iran
  periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes

Iraq
  dust storms, sandstorms, floods

Ireland
  NA

Isle of Man
  NA

Israel
  sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts;
  periodic earthquakes

Italy
  regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches,
  earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice

Jamaica
  hurricanes (especially July to November)

Jan Mayen
  dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg;
  volcanic activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred
  in 1985

Japan
  many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic
  occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons

Jersey
  NA

Jordan
  droughts; periodic earthquakes

Kazakhstan
  earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty

Kenya
  recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Kiribati
  typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;
  occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them
  sensitive to changes in sea level

Korea, North
  late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding;
  occasional typhoons during the early fall

Korea, South
  occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods;
  low-level seismic activity common in southwest

Kuwait
  sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring
  heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust
  storms occur throughout the year but are most common between March
  and August

Kyrgyzstan
  NA

Laos
  floods, droughts

Latvia
  NA

Lebanon
  dust storms, sandstorms

Lesotho
  periodic droughts

Liberia
  dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to
  March)

Libya
  hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to
  four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

Liechtenstein
  NA

Lithuania
  NA

Luxembourg
  NA

Macau
  typhoons

Macedonia
  high seismic risks

Madagascar
  periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation

Malawi
  NA

Malaysia
  flooding, landslides, forest fires

Maldives
  low level of islands makes them sensitive to sea level rise

Mali
  hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons;
  recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding

Malta
  NA

Marshall Islands
  infrequent typhoons

Mauritania
  hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in
  March and April; periodic droughts

Mauritius
  cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded
  by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

Mayotte
  cyclones during rainy season

Mexico
  tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive
  earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific,
  Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts

Micronesia, Federated States of
  typhoons (June to December)

Moldova
  landslides

Monaco
  NA

Mongolia
  dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and
  "zud," which is harsh winter conditions

Montenegro
  destructive earthquakes

Montserrat
  severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions
  (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)

Morocco
  northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to
  earthquakes; periodic droughts

Mozambique
  severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in
  central and southern provinces

Namibia
  prolonged periods of drought

Nauru
  periodic droughts

Navassa Island
  hurricanes

Nepal
  severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and
  famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the
  summer monsoons

Netherlands
  flooding

Netherlands Antilles
  Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are
  subject to hurricanes from July to October; Curacao and Bonaire are
  south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened

New Caledonia
  cyclones, most frequent from November to March

New Zealand
  earthquakes are common, though usually not severe;
  volcanic activity

Nicaragua
  destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely
  susceptible to hurricanes

Niger
  recurring droughts

Nigeria
  periodic droughts; flooding

Niue
  typhoons

Norfolk Island
  typhoons (especially May to July)

Northern Mariana Islands active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)

Norway
  rockslides, avalanches

Oman
  summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in
  interior; periodic droughts

Pacific Ocean
  surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and
  earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of
  Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east
  Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October);
  tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike
  Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in
  August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in
  the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western
  Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure
  icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the
  northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December

Pakistan
  frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in
  north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and
  August)

Palau
  typhoons (June to December)

Panama
  occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area

Papua New Guinea
  active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring
  of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe
  earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis

Paracel Islands
  typhoons

Paraguay
  local flooding in southeast (early September to June);
  poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)

Peru
  earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic
  activity

Philippines
  astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck
  by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active
  volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis

Pitcairn Islands
  typhoons (especially November to March)

Poland
  flooding

Portugal
  Azores subject to severe earthquakes

Puerto Rico
  periodic droughts; hurricanes

Qatar
  haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

Romania
  earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic
  structure and climate promote landslides

Russia
  permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to
  development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and
  earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and
  summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European
  Russia

Rwanda
  periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the
  northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

Saint Helena
  active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in
  1961

Saint Kitts and Nevis
  hurricanes (July to October)

Saint Lucia
  hurricanes and volcanic activity

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  persistent fog throughout the year can be
  a maritime hazard

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on
  the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat

Samoa
  occasional typhoons; active volcanism

San Marino
  NA

Sao Tome and Principe
  NA

Saudi Arabia
  frequent sand and dust storms

Senegal
  lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Serbia
  destructive earthquakes

Seychelles
  lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare;
  short droughts possible

Sierra Leone
  dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
  (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms

Singapore
  NA

Slovakia
  NA

Slovenia
  flooding and earthquakes

Solomon Islands
  typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically
  active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic
  activity; tsunamis

Somalia
  recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains
  in summer; floods during rainy season

South Africa
  prolonged droughts

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  the South Sandwich
  Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them
  difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active
  volcanism

Southern Ocean
  huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred
  meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5
  to 1 m thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with
  large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf
  floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances;
  high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially
  May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and
  rescue

Spain
  periodic droughts

Spratly Islands
  typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious
  maritime hazard

Sri Lanka
  occasional cyclones and tornadoes

Sudan
  dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

Suriname
  NA

Svalbard
  ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a transit
  point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts
  of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic

Swaziland
  drought

Sweden
  ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf
  of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic

Switzerland
  avalanches, landslides, flash floods

Syria
  dust storms, sandstorms

Taiwan
  earthquakes and typhoons

Tajikistan
  earthquakes and floods

Tanzania
  flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season;
  drought

Thailand
  land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the
  depletion of the water table; droughts

Timor-Leste
  floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis,
  tropical cyclones

Togo
  hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during
  winter; periodic droughts

Tokelau
  lies in Pacific typhoon belt

Tonga
  cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity
  on Fonuafo'ou

Trinidad and Tobago
  outside usual path of hurricanes and other
  tropical storms

Tunisia
  NA

Turkey
  severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an
  arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van

Turkmenistan
  NA

Turks and Caicos Islands
  frequent hurricanes

Tuvalu
  severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there
  were three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to
  changes in sea level

Uganda
  NA

Ukraine
  NA

United Arab Emirates
  frequent sand and dust storms

United Kingdom
  winter windstorms; floods

United States
  tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around
  Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
  coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in
  California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in
  northern Alaska, a major impediment to development

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
  Baker, Howland, and
  Jarvis Islands: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can
  be a maritime hazard
  Kingman Reef: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of
  less than 2 m makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
  Midway Islands, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls: NA

Uruguay
  seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and
  occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas),
  droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as
  weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid
  changes from weather fronts

Uzbekistan
  NA

Vanuatu
  tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanic
  eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began 27 November 2005, volcanism
  also causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis

Venezuela
  subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts

Vietnam
  occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive
  flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

Virgin Islands
  several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and
  severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes

Wake Island
  occasional typhoons

Wallis and Futuna
  NA

West Bank
  droughts

Western Sahara
  hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur
  during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of
  time, often severely restricting visibility

World
  large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones),
  natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic
  eruptions)

Yemen
  sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Zambia
  periodic drought, tropical storms (November to April)

Zimbabwe
  recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2022 People - note

Cook Islands
  2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017

Cuba
  illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt