World Map › North America › Panama
Country
Map of Panama
North America · Panama City
Panama spans the Panama and North Andes plates. It has 1 volcano active over the last 10,000 years, 0 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 21 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 18 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 5.2 out of 10 (INFORM index), a high level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 4.0 out of 10.
- Capital
- Panama City
- Population
- 4,570,133
- Area
- 74,177 km²
- Continent
- North America
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 (3.4 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (5.4 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 9,545to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 4,771to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 286to tsunamis
- 27to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 214to river floods
- 7,089to 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
- TsunamiHigh
- VolcanoHigh
- WildfireHigh
- Extreme HeatMedium
- CycloneLow
- Water ScarcityVery Low
Volcanoes (1)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1974Bogota, Cali, Pereira · M 7.311 deaths
- 1976Darien · M 6.75 deaths
- 2003Puerto Armuelles · M 6.52 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
11 major tsunamis have reached Panama since 1900. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 1991Tsunami (Costa Rica) · 3.0 m
- 1906Tsunami (Ecuador) · 0.7 m
- 1957Tsunami (United States of America) · 0.4 m
- 1960Tsunami (Chile) · 0.2 m
- 1964Tsunami (United States of America) · 0.2 m
- 2011Tsunami (Japan) · 0.1 m
- 1952Tsunami (Russia) · 0.1 m
- 2017Tsunami (Mexico)
Tropical Cyclones
1 major tropical cyclone has made landfall in Panama since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 1969Hurricane Martha · 74 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