Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Most Dangerous Place in Europe

is, it would seem, Romania.

Take a look at the map here:


(Slightly bigger version can be found here)

Now, what this shows is the level of risk of death due to natural disasters. Green areas are lower risk, red areas are higher risk. Look at where the red bit of Europe is (Basically Albania and Romania). (I think if you look at the bigger map, you can just about make out that Bucharest is a huge angry red spot in the middle of a fairly orange country. I take it this refers to the expectation that there will, before too long, be a devastating earthquake in Romania, and Bucharest will likely suffer more than everyone else)

Taken from here.

6 comments:

Gadjo Dilo said...

Or the Bucharest drivers, Andy.

Soj said...

It's true there is an active fault line in what's now known as Muntenia (and they have earthquakes there regularly) but I think this map is also skewed based on "economic factors" meaning not just the chances for an earthquake (or flooding) but how well the government could rescue/evacuate people as well.

Andy said...

Oh definitely Soj. Also i suspect on the infrastruture and the state of the buildings. You look at Bucharest and one sizeable tremor looks like it would completely level the place. Vrancea is the epicentre of most Romanian seismic activity, on the outside elbow of the Carpathians.

lapunkt said...

Din cand in cand Laszlo Tokes, presedintele Consiliului National al Maghiarilor din Transilvania, face cate o declaratie de presa in care se plange de lipsa placutelor informative in limba maghiara. Marota lui se particularizeaza acum pe Cluj, cum zice el fosta capitala a “voievodatului Transilvaniei”, unde limba maghiara nu este pe placute. Acum se pare ca se strang semnaturi pentru placute noi. “Semnatarii acestei petitii solicita ca limbile maghiara si germana sa apara pe placutele informative care urmeaza sa fie montate pe monumentele istorice ale orasului. Comunitatile germana si maghiara au avut un rol important in istoria Clujului si aceasta initiativa a edilului sef (prin care placutele sa fie in limbile romana, engleza si franceza) nu reflecta multiculturalismul Clujului.”

Dl. Tokes traieste intr-o alta dimensiune. Incearca sa alimenteze resesentimentele national-identitare din Romania si legitimeaza totul istoric. Sigur stie, si multi ar si semna asta, ca la Budapesta maghiarii din Transilvania sunt priviti condescendent, cam cum sunt priviti moldovenii la noi. Budapestanii zic de maghiarii din Romania vorbesc o limba maghira invechita ca sunt prea conservatori, incapatanati si ca mai au tot felul de metehne insuportabile. Maghiarii de la noi spun in schimb ca ei au ramas in Romania unde au pastrat nealterata limba si cultura maghiara. Cine sa aiba dreptate?

Ca veni vorba de roluri in istorie, daca sugerezi ideea nationala la voievodatul Transilvaniei de ce oare nu am putea merge ceva mai in urma la Burebista spre exemplu. Si cum Burebista a fost mai mult stramosul romanilor (cel putin asa spune imaginarul istoric al epopeii nationale) decat al maghiarilor, si deoarece stapanirea lui se intindea pana la Balaton, cum, unde, pana unde si mai ales in ce limbi sa punem placutele?

p.s.
faptul ca placutele de la Cluj vor fi in si in Engleza si Franceza nu are nici o legatura cu rapandirea si importanta economica, politica, sociala, culturala a acestor limbi in zilele noastre. ratiunea e istorica. stie oricine urmareste stirile: in drumul spre actuala Franta, migratorii din gasca lui Vercingetorix se pare ca au facut un popas mai mare prin Cluj. Si englezii la fel ceva mai tarziu, ca se tot tin dupa francezi….
se justifica sa fie pe placuta! Alea iacta est, isn’t it?

Ian Plenderleith said...

Was the Palace of the Parliament built to survive an earthquake? I'm no seismologist, but if that bastard comes down won't it cause a significant follow-up tremor?

Unknown said...

My guess they took into account population density and a cumulus of the different risks. In the case of Bucharest, and most and the rest of the South of Romania there's both the risk of flooding and the risk of earthquake, multiplied by the shabby nature of the soil in Danube's alluvial plain.