World Map › South America › Ecuador
Country
Map of Ecuador
South America · Quito
Ecuador spans the South American, North Andes and Nazca plates. It has 36 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 14 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 49 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 12,997 deaths. Its natural and humanitarian risk index (INFORM) is 5.8 out of 10, a high level.
- Capital
- Quito
- Population
- 16,938,986
- Area
- 257,204 km²
- Continent
- South America
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
INFORM index by the European Commission, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), for each type of hazard.
People Exposed Each Year
- 38,782to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 37,645to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 994to tsunamis
- 98,676to river floods
- 6,521to coastal floods
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
- Extreme HeatHigh
- WildfireHigh
- CycloneVery Low
- Water ScarcityVery Low
Volcanoes (36)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
- Reventador 2026
- Sangay volcano 2026
- Fernandina 2024
- Cotopaxi volcano 2023
- Volcán Wolf 2022
- Sierra Negra 2018
- Tungurahua volcano 2016
- Cerro Azul 2008
- Guagua Pichincha 2002
- Galapagos Rift at 86°W 1996
- Alcedo Volcano 1993
- Marchena 1991
- Chiles-Cerro Negro 1936
- Santiago 1906
- Sumaco 1895
- Volcán Darwin 1813
- Antisana volcano 1802
- Cayambe 1786
- Chacana 1773
- Quilotoa 1280
- Volcán Ecuador 1150
- Cuicocha 650
- Chimborazo 550
- Pululahua 290
- Atacazo 320 BCE
- Aliso 2,450 BCE
- Chachimbiro 3,740 BCE
- Imbabura Volcano 5,550 BCE
- Soche 6,650 BCE
- Mojanda ?
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1949Tungurahua · M 6.56,000 deaths
- 1987Napo Province, Quito, Tulcan · M 7.25,000 deaths
- 1906Off Coast · M 8.81,000 deaths
- 2016Near West Coast: Manabi, Esmeraldas · M 7.8663 deaths
- 1942Guayaquil · M 7.9200 deaths
- 1924Ecuador · M 6.940 deaths
Tsunamis
37 major tsunamis have reached Ecuador since 1900, killing 4 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 1958Tsunami (Ecuador)4 deaths
- 2011Tsunami (Japan) · 6.1 m
- 1952Tsunami (Russia) · 1.9 m
- 1960Tsunami (Chile) · 1.0 m
- 2025Tsunami (Russia) · 1.0 m
- 1906Tsunami (Ecuador) · 0.8 m
- 1979Tsunami (Colombia) · 0.8 m
- 2022Tsunami (Tonga) · 0.8 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