World Map › Oceania › Palau
Country
Map of Palau
Oceania · Ngerulmud
Palau lies on the Philippine Sea Plate. Since 1900, 1 major earthquake has been recorded. Its exposure to natural hazards is 2.3 out of 10 (INFORM index), a low level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 2.2 out of 10.
- Capital
- Ngerulmud
- Population
- 21,729
- Area
- 466 km²
- Continent
- Oceania
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 (2.5 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (3.6 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 147to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 55to 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.
- Coastal FloodMedium
- LandslideMedium
- TsunamiMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
- EarthquakeVery Low
- WildfireVery 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).
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
9 major tsunamis have reached Palau since 1900. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 2011Tsunami (Japan) · 0.2 m
- 1952Tsunami (Japan) · 0.2 m
- 1998Tsunami (Papua New Guinea)
- 2026Tsunami (Philippines)
- 2009Tsunami (Indonesia)
- 1900Tsunami (Indonesia)
- 2002Tsunami (Papua New Guinea)
- 2023Tsunami (Philippines)
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