This eruption was very disastrous. It killed more than 36,000 people (about 36,417), ranking as one of the biggest volcanic eruptions to happen in history.
The reason it killed so many people is not only because of the eruption itself but also because of the pyroclastic flows that came with the eruption.
The reason it killed so many people is not only because of the eruption itself but also because of the pyroclastic flows that came with the eruption.
The pyroclastic flows went into the water of the Sunda strait that surrounded the island that inhabits Krakatoa, creating huge tsunamis up to 40 meters tall! 90% of the deaths (about 32,000 people) were from these gigantic tsunamis! Many homes and villages of nearby islands were also destroyed (165 villages demolished and another 132 villages damaged) because of these massive tsunamis.
The island of Krakatoa used to be composed of 3 united volcano peaks but then during the eruption, Perboewatan, Danan, and the top northern half of Rakata seemed to have fallen and collapsed into the magma chamber, forming a caldera (a large basin shaped depression on the peak of the volcano). Since there has been eruptions going on even after 1883, a new volcano called Anak Krakatau was formed in the December of 1927. It's still active to this very day.
The eruptions of the Krakatoa volcano not only affected the areas near Krakatoa but also the whole world! Weather patterns became unpredictable and brilliant sunsets were created. Global temperatures dropped 1.2°C, on average and did not return to its normal state until the year 1888.