Haiyan Typhoon

The Philippines is a country of 97 million spread over 7,000 islands although the majority of the population of the country live on just 11 of these. It is located on the Pacific Ring of fire and so volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are common. The Philippines: Earthquakes, Volcanoes and StormsThe diagram above shows how susceptible the country is to natural disasters. Indeed the country was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in October with 93 people losing their lives. However Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) looks like being the deadliest natural disaster in the country's history. The President of the Philippines has declared "A State of National Calamity".Geography teachers can help get their students to understand the effects on this region through looking at The BBC website which has well documented this disaster with before and after images, maps, latest news and videos. BBC - Haiyan TyphoonStudents could also map the region and the path of the Typhoon using the National Geographic's Mapmaker interactive site. MapMaker InteractiveFinally students can examine the international response, how quick the world has been to provide international aid and will this response significantly help the long term recovery of the Philippines.