World Map › Africa › Madagascar
Country
Map of Madagascar
Africa · Antananarivo
Madagascar lies on the Somali Plate. Since 1900, 1 major earthquake has been recorded, causing at least 2 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 5.6 out of 10 (INFORM index), a high level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 5.7 out of 10.
- Capital
- Antananarivo
- Population
- 31,964,956
- Area
- 587,295 km²
- Continent
- Africa
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (5.5 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (7.5 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 3to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 107to tsunamis
- 733,268to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 103,318to river floods
- 29,380to coastal floods
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- Coastal FloodHigh
- LandslideHigh
- CycloneHigh
- WildfireHigh
- TsunamiMedium
- VolcanoMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
- EarthquakeLow
- Water ScarcityVery Low
Volcanoes
No volcano active over the last 10,000 years is recorded in this country.
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 2017Antsirabe · M 5.52 deaths
Tsunamis
3 major tsunamis have reached Madagascar since 1900, killing 8 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 2005Tsunami (Indonesia)6 deaths
- 2004Tsunami (Indonesia) · 5.4 m2 deaths
- 2022Tsunami (Tonga) · 0.1 m
Tropical Cyclones
40 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in Madagascar since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 2022Cyclone Batsirai · 167 km/h123 deaths
- 2004Cyclone Gafilo · 228 km/h
- 1997Cyclone Gretelle · 213 km/h
- 1995Cyclone Bonita · 204 km/h
- 1994Cyclone Litanne · 204 km/h
- 2000Cyclone Hudah · 200 km/h
- 1994Cyclone Geralda · 194 km/h
- 2017Cyclone Enawo · 191 km/h
- 2007Cyclone Indlala · 185 km/h
- 2019Cyclone Belna · 185 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution