d from the sea by concrete dikes

Belize:
frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and
coastal flooding (especially in south)

Benin:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter

Bermuda:
hurricanes (June to November)

Bhutan:
violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are the source
of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder
Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season

Bolivia:
flooding in the northeast (March-April)

Bosnia and Herzegovina:
destructive earthquakes

Botswana:
periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the
west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure
visibility

Bouvet Island:
NA

Brazil:
recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost
in south

British Indian Ocean Territory:
NA

British Virgin Islands:
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to
October)

Brunei:
typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very rare

Bulgaria:
earthquakes, landslides

Burkina Faso:
recurring droughts

Burma:
destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides
common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts

Burundi:
flooding, landslides, drought

Cambodia:
monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional
droughts

Cameroon:
recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases

Canada:
continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to
development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a
result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and
North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and
snow

Cape Verde:
prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure
visibility; volcanically and seismically active

Cayman Islands:
hurricanes (July to November)

Central African Republic:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect
northern areas; floods are common

Chad:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic
droughts; locust plagues

Chile:
severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis

China:
frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and
eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts

Christmas Island:
the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island
can be a maritime hazard

Clipperton Island:
NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands:
cyclones may occur in the e