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Disaster risk: Conditions, trends and impacts173(see Figures 7.2 to 7.4). Loss to hydrological (floods,landslides and hurricanes) hazard is most widespread, affectinghuman settlements in China, Southeast Asia and CentralAmerica, and in a band from Eastern Europe through Centraland Eastern Asia. Loss to geological hazard (earthquakes andvolcano eruptions) is most concentrated in Central Asia andthe Mediterranean and Pacific Rim states (e.g. Japan, the USand Central America). The Americas show variable loss, withlow levels of loss in North America.Central Asia is exposed to losses from the greatestnumber of hazard types. Likewise, the Black Sea region,Central America and Japan face multiple hazards. Disasterrisk is, however, distributed differently across specificregions, depending upon what is considered to be at risk. Interms of mortality caused by natural disasters, hotspotsinclude Central America, the Himalaya, South andSoutheast Asia, Central Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (seeFigure 7.2). Risk of absolute economic loss shows quite adifferent distribution (see Figure 7.3). Wealthier countrieslose the highest value of economic assets in natural disasters.Consequently, hotspots for absolute economic lossinclude North America, Europe and Central, South andSoutheast Asia, with sub-Saharan Africa being less prominent.A third measure – economic loss as a proportion ofgross domestic product (GDP) – resembles losses recordedfor mortality (see Figure 7.4).Figure 7.3Global distribution ofhighest risk disasterhotspots indicated bytotal economic loss(1980–2001) 11Source: Dilley et al, 2005Figure 7.4Global distribution ofhighest risk disasterhotspots indicated byeconomic loss as aproportion of GDP perunit area (1980–2001) 12Source: Dilley et al, 2005