FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-161

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (August 27, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps learn some facts about a historic volcanic eruption on this date in history.

Boom

The big boom was heard nearly 3000 miles away on August 27, 1883 when Krakatoa erupted, one of the largest in known history.

It blew at the power of 16,000 Hiroshima bombs, or about 10 times more powerful than Mount St. Helens.   It ejected 6 cubic miles of rock.  Global annual temperatures were lowered for a while by about 0.7 F due to the carbon dioxide and ash ejected.

While only a few are believed to be killed directly caused by the explosion, about 27,000 believed to die on neighboring islands due to the tsunamis caused by the eruption.

Krakatoa is now a small island, located between Sumatra and Java, and is one of the 130 volcanoes active on the island nation of Indonesia.

Sanson’s map of much of today’s Indonesia and Malaysia shown here is from 1652.  Krakatoa is in the lower left.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.