Jakarta, 500,000 exposed
Jakarta sits near the sea, and is criss-crossed by 13 rivers; it experiences annual flooding almost every rainy season. But the Indonesian capital was hit by its worst flood in centuries in 2007. The water covered more than 70 percent of the city, sent 450,000 residents fleeing to high ground and were estimated to have caused nearly $700 million in damage. The Indonesian capital was paralyzed for days, prompting leaders to consider how climate change has made the annual floods even more treacherous. Above, heavy clouds hang over Jakarta on Feb. 18, 2010.
BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images
