On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced the strongest earthquake in its recorded history. The earthquake struck below the North Pacific Ocean, 130 kilometers (81 miles) east of Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku region, a northern part of the island of Honshu.
The Tohoku earthquake caused a tsunami. A tsunami—Japanese for “harbor wave”—is a series of powerful waves caused by the displacement of a large body of water. Most tsunamis, like the one that formed off Tohoku, are triggered by underwater tectonic activity, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The Tohoku tsunami produced waves up to 40 meters (132 feet) high,
More than 450,000 people became homeless as a result of the tsunami. More than 15,500 people died.
The tsunami also severely crippled the infrastructure of the country. In addition to the thousands of destroyed homes, businesses, roads, and railways, the tsunami caused the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The Fukushima nuclear disaster released toxic, radioactive materials into the environment and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and businesses.
city
Noun
large settlement with a high population density.
country
Noun
geographic territory with a distinct name, flag, population, boundaries, and government.
cripple
Verb
to disable or weaken.
damage
Noun
harm that reduces usefulness or value.
destroy
Verb
to ruin or make useless.
devastating
Adjective
very destructive or damaging.
displacement
Noun
forced removal of something, often people or organisms, from their communities or original space.
earthquake
Noun
the sudden shaking of Earth's crust caused by the release of energy along fault lines or from volcanic activity.
environment
Noun
conditions that surround and influence an organism or community.
evacuate
Verb
to leave or remove from a dangerous place.
impact
Noun
meaning or effect.
infrastructure
Noun
structures and facilities necessary for the functioning of a society, such as roads.
power plant
Noun
industrial facility for the generation of electric energy.
radioactive
Adjective
having unstable atomic nuclei and emitting subatomic particles and radiation.
Noun
any area on Earth with one or more common characteristics. Regions are the basic units of geography.
tectonic activity
Noun
movement of tectonic plates resulting in geologic activity such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
toxic
Adjective
poisonous.
trigger
Verb
to cause or begin a chain of events.
tsunami
Noun
ocean waves triggered by an earthquake, volcano, or other movement of the ocean floor.
volcanic eruption
Noun
activity that includes a discharge of gas, ash, or lava from a volcano.
wave
Noun
moving swell on the surface of water.