The 10 Cities Most At Risk Of Being Hit By Natural Disasters

Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, has analyzed the disaster potential for 616 of the world's largest cities.

Each city is based on their potential for earthquakes, storms, storm surges, tsunamis, and river floods. For each type of disaster, Swiss Re devised a extreme weather scenario in which defenses fail and the human and economic toll can be enormous.

Each city was ranked based on the effect each scenario would have on city residents, by combining population distribution data with vulnerability estimates for each disaster. It comprises fatalities, injuries, evacuations, those whose homes would be damaged or destroyed, and those who would be unable to access their workplace.