This map layer shows in five categories the total of all critical nuclear tests between 1945 and 2017 that a country performed above ground, below ground, in the atmosphere or under water.
The United States carried out the first nuclear test in 1945. It was followed by the drop of the two atom bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki towards the end of World War II. In 2017, North Korea carried out the so far most recent, though officially not confirmed nuclear test. All in all, 2,161 nuclear explosions (above or below ground, atmospherically or under water) were triggered by man. This number is partially based on the measurements obtained from the seismic activities and nuclear radiation caused by the tests as not all countries report their nuclear tests. Geoscience Australia's database on nuclear explosions is the main source of this presentation and has been complemented by data from the US Department of Energy. The last nuclear test has been added to this collection of data in 2009. Subcritical nuclear tests, that is tests that have not triggered a chain reaction and that have not released radiation, are not listed.
