World Map › Europe › Italy
Country
Map of Italy
Europe · Rome
Italy spans the Eurasian and African plates. It has 13 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 3 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 136 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 120,418 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 4.9 out of 10 (INFORM index), a medium level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 3.1 out of 10.
- Capital
- Rome
- Population
- 58,850,717
- Area
- 302,068 km²
- Continent
- Europe
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 (2.8 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (3.4 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 106,766to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 5,347to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 119to tsunamis
- 160,626to river floods
- 42,179to 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
- EarthquakeHigh
- LandslideHigh
- VolcanoHigh
- WildfireHigh
- TsunamiMedium
- Water ScarcityMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
Volcanoes (13)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
- Stromboli 2026
- Mount Etna 2026
- Vesuvius 1944
- Pantelleria 1891
- Vulcano 1890
- Campi Flegrei del Mar di Sicilia 1867
- Campi Flegrei 1538
- Ischia 1302
- Lipari 1230
- Marsili 1,050 BCE
- Palinuro 8,040 BCE
- Colli Albani ?
- Panarea ?
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1908Messina, Sicily, Calabria · M 7.080,000 deaths
- 1915Marsica, Avezzano, Abruzzi · M 7.529,978 deaths
- 1980Avellino, Potenza, Caserta · M 6.94,689 deaths
- 1930Irpinia · M 6.51,430 deaths
- 1920Carrara, Garfagnana · M 5.81,400 deaths
- 1976Ne, Balkans Nw: Slovenia: Nw · M 6.5978 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
18 major tsunamis have reached Italy since 1900, killing 295 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 1908Tsunami (Italy) · 13.0 m294 deaths
- 1930Tsunami (Italy) · 2.5 m1 deaths
- 1963Tsunami (Italy) · 235.0 m
- 2002Tsunami (Italy) · 10.9 m
- 1916Tsunami (Italy) · 10.0 m
- 1968Tsunami (Italy) · 3.0 m
- 1988Tsunami (Italy) · 2.0 m
- 2019Tsunami (Italy) · 1.3 m
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