Where: Indian Ocean, epicentre near Aceh, Northern Indonesia.
What: A tidal wave which travelled at 800km/h and was up to 30m in height.
Why: It was triggered by a submarine earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter Scale which was caused by the Indo-Australian plate being subducted underneath the Eurasian plate.
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Countries Affected
Sri Lanka
Indonesia
Thailand
Southern India
East Coast of Africa
Maldives
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Primary Effects
Around 230,000 people were killed or are still missing.
Around 650,000 people were injured.
1,500 settlements were completely wiped out.
Infastructure in many was severly damaged.
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Secondary Effects
Over 1.7million people were left homeless.
5-6 million needed emergency food, water and medical supplies.
The fishing and tourist industies were destroyed.
There was massive enviromental damage. Salt from the sea water has meant that plants can't grow in many areas. Mangroves, coral reefs, forests and sand dunes were also destroyed by the waves.
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Short-term Responses
Relief teams were swamped by the scale of the disaster and many injured were not treated for days.
Emergency food, fresh water, sheeting and tents poured in from around the world.
Medical teams established aid stations to treat the injured and prevent disease from contaminated water.
Heavy equipment was sent to help clear roads.
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Long-term responses
Lots of money was donated to help build new and stonger homes and public buildings, £372 million were donated my the British public alone.
Rebuilding the fishing industry and coastal resorts for the tourism industry.
An early warnig system was put in place and education programmes were set up the ensure people know what to do in the future.
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