http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes Get the facts on the deadliest earthquakes to rattle the planet since the year 2000. en Copyright 2013, History.com Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT History.com 2013-05-22T04:00:00Z en Copyright 2013, History.com http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo1 On March 11, 2011, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, unleashing a tsunami that swept over large portions of the country and reached across the Pacific. The quake was the strongest in Japanese history and one of the most powerful of the century. http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo1 http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo2 On February 27, 2010, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck off the coast of Chile. More than 700 deaths were confirmed. A tsunami watch was in effect for the Pacific Basin, and the United States issued a tsunami advisory for coastal areas of Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo2 http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo3 A catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 occurred on January 12, 2010, near Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. Roughly 230,000 people lost their lives in the disaster. In the days after the quake, rescue workers, medical teams and supplies poured in from countries around the world. http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo3 http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo4 On May 12, 2008, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 hit China's mountainous Sichuan province, home to more than 15 million people. Roughly 70,000 people died and 18,000 were reported missing. Thousands of classrooms collapsed, igniting a feud between victims' parents and the Chinese government. http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo4 http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo5 On October 8, 2005, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which sits atop two colliding tectonic plates. It killed roughly 75,000 people and unleashed massive landslides that buried entire towns. http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo5 http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo6 On December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 9.3 struck off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It triggered a series of huge tsunamis that swept across the Indian Ocean and devastated the region's coastal communities. More than 230,000 people perished in 14 countries. http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo6 http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo7 An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 decimated the Iranian city of Bam on December 26, 2003, killing 26,000 people. Many of Bam's houses were made of mud brick and quickly succumbed to the powerful tremors; 70 percent of the city's buildings were flattened. http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo7 http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo8 More than 20,000 people were killed when a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck the Indian state of Gujarat. The town of Bhuj lost 90 percent of its homes, and its historic Swaminarayan temple was partly destroyed. http://www.history.com/photos/earthquakes/photo8