World Map › Europe › United Kingdom
Country
.svg?width=60)
Map of the United Kingdom
Europe · London
The United Kingdom lies on the Eurasian Plate. It has 10 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 7 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 6 major earthquakes have been recorded. Its exposure to natural hazards is 3.5 out of 10 (INFORM index), a medium level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 2.2 out of 10.
- Capital
- London
- Population
- 67,326,569
- Area
- 242,495 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 (3.0 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (1.6 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 65to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 2to tsunamis
- 112,196to river floods
- 216,611to 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
- Coastal FloodHigh
- WildfireHigh
- Urban FloodMedium
- LandslideMedium
- EarthquakeLow
- TsunamiLow
- Water ScarcityLow
- Extreme HeatLow
Volcanoes (10)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
- Saunders 2026
- Bristol Island 2016
- Zavodovski 2016
- Nightingale Island 2004
- Southern Thule 1975
- Protector Seamounts 1962
- Candlemas Island 1911
- Adams Seamount 50 BCE
- Mount Hodson ?
- Leskov Island ?
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
4 major tsunamis have reached the United Kingdom since 1900. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 2004Tsunami (Indonesia) · 0.1 m
- 2022Tsunami (Tonga) · 0.1 m
- 1960Tsunami (Chile)
- 1969Tsunami (Portugal)
Tropical Cyclones
8 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in the United Kingdom since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 1996Hurricane Lili · 102 km/h22 deaths
- 1986Hurricane Charley · 83 km/h15 deaths
- 1953Hurricane Edna · 120 km/h
- 1950Hurricane Dog · 117 km/h
- 2011Hurricane Katia · 111 km/h
- 1963Hurricane Beulah · 111 km/h
- 2017Hurricane Ophelia · 89 km/h
- 2006Tropical Storm Alberto · 56 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