A Comparison of The Effects and Management of Earthquakes in Countries of Differing Levels of Economic Development

In 1999 there were two earthquakes, one in the NDC Taiwan, and another Turkey, a LEDC. In Taiwan the Western Pacific Plate Margin built up pressure during August and September in 1999, eventually on the 21st September the plates moved and there was an earthquake which killed 2084 people, measured 7.6 on the Richter scale and has had over 9000 aftershocks to date. However in Turkey it was the Turkish plates which built up pressure, and eventually gave out on the 17th of August ’99. It measured 7.4 on the Richter scale. These two countries have different levels of economic development, meaning they are a good comparison for how countries of differing levels of Economic development cope with earthquakes.

Taiwan is a country just South of China; it is quite economically developed compared to Turkey. It has a population of 22.9 million people, and a GDP of $712 million. People who are living in Taiwan will on average live until they are 77. They have an aging population, with a birth rate of 13 people per 1000, and a death rate of only 6 people per thousand, which is a much greater difference than in the UK where the difference is only 1, as a pose to 7. 77% of the population live in urbanised areas; this is mainly due to the country beginning a revolution from their previous agricultural lives into more industrial lives from 1952-1980. This was when Taiwan started developing itself economically. Before the 1960s the country’s GDP was 32.2% agriculture and industries only 16.7%, however it rose to 23.7%. In 1990 the population in Taiwan was 21 million, the GNP per capita was $10 180 and there were 897 people per doctor.

Turkey is located on the border between Europe and Asia, bordering with Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Syria & Iraq. In the 1990s there were 61.1 million people living there, 80.5% of them were literate and there were 1201 people per doctor. Turkey was not in great form in sense of development, with a GNP capita of $2120, but it was not awful either. Unlike Taiwan Turkey had a pyramid shaped population pyramid with a birth rate of 27 per 1000, and a death rate of 7 people per thousand, not uncommon in developing countries. At the time the life expectancy was only 66.

The Earthquake

During the Earthquake in Taiwan a lot of people were outside on the street because they were waiting for the autumn festival to begin. The epicentre was luckily is quite a rural area, meaning that  the earthquake wasn’t felt as badly in the main city. The epicentre was south of Taipei, nearly 150Km away, the cause of the earthquake was thrust faulting along the Chelung-pu fault. The fault runs through the centre off Taiwan, and caused the hanging wall was thrust upwards and westward to a distance of almost 60 miles. Along the fault line some of the ground was raised to up to 7 meters. In one place a waterfall was created by the rising ground.