7 most earthquake-prone countries in the world

Earthquakes give little warning but cause widespread devastation and death in a matter of minutes. Certain places are quite prone to this destruction because of their geography and tectonic activity. Here are seven of the most seismically endangered countries in the world and the reasons why they are so vulnerable to this massive natural disaster.

Japan is one of the countries found on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is thus highly susceptible to experiencing frequent earthquakes because of the movement of several tectonic plates like the Pacific Plate, Philippine Sea Plate, and Eurasian Plate. The land has had some of the most terrible forms of devastating earthquakes, one of which is the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and another is the Tohoku Earthquake of 2011.

The other country situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire is Indonesia, and its people are very susceptible to major earthquakes. Generally, the reason behind the cause is the interaction between the Australian Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and the Pacific Plate; Indonesia has had several devastating powerful earthquakes, including the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

The country lies within an area of high seismicity due to the collision of the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. This tectonic activity has led to many earthquakes and sometimes destructive ones too. The country has had some remarkable seismic experiences, such as the massive 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Iran falls in a more seismically active region because the Arabian Plate collides with the Eurasian Plate, and often this tectonic activity results in frequent earthquakes, even sometimes destructive ones. More significant seismic events include the 2003 Bam earthquake.

This country is in the collision zone of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, where destructive earthquakes often occur. The devastating Gorkha earthquake of this year was one of the largest in Nepal's history, caused significant damage and claimed hundreds of lives.

Mexico is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which means frequent earthquakes since it is one of the areas where the Cocos Plate meets the North American Plate. There has always been significant seismic activity in Mexico, such as that of 1985- the Mexico City earthquake.

India lies at a convergent boundary region, where the Indian Plate collides with the Eurasian Plate. which makes India a seismically prone country. This had also given rise to the Himalayas millions of years ago. The country has experienced various significant seismic events in its history. Of these, the most devastating and deadly is the Bihar-Nepal Earthquake of 1934 and the Gujarat Earthquake of 2001 in India. The Gorkha Earthquake in Nepal in 2015, had also devastated many parts of India.