These are some of the most famous — and most powerful — tsunamis in history. Each one taught people something new about how to stay safe!
🌏 Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004)
On December 26, 2004, a gigantic magnitude 9.1 earthquake under the sea near Indonesia started a tsunami that raced across the whole Indian Ocean. Waves hit 14 countries, from Indonesia all the way to Africa. It was one of the worst natural disasters in modern history, and afterwards many countries joined together to build a warning system for the Indian Ocean too.
🇯🇵 Japan Tsunami (2011)
After the huge Tōhoku earthquake, a tsunami with waves up to 40 metres tall — as high as a 13-storey building — smashed into the coast of Japan. Sea walls that were built to protect towns were overtopped. The disaster taught engineers to build even higher walls and better escape routes.
🌋 Krakatoa Tsunami (1883)
When the volcano Krakatoa exploded in 1883, it pushed up tsunamis as tall as 40 metres that swept around the islands of Indonesia. The waves were so powerful they carried a whole ship almost 3 kilometres inland and left it in the jungle!
Near Banda Aceh, Indonesia, you can see an old bridge lying in the river after the 2004 tsunami smashed it. A new bridge was built right beside it so help could reach people. See source ↓
📚 Picture Sources
- Photo 1 — Destroyed bridge near Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 2005 (U.S. Navy photo, public domain). From Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_050127-N-0057P-268_Trucks_line_up_near_a_recently_reconstructed_bridge_to_cross_near_Banda_Aceh,_Sumatra,_Indonesia,_while_the_old_bridge,_destroyed_in_a_Tsunami,_lie_in_a_river_next_to_it.jpg
