Nuclear radiation from the Chernobyl accident (1996)

This map, created by Joaquín Domínguez for El Orden Mundial in 2015, using data from the CIA Handbook, shows the levels of nuclear radiation in 1996 in the Chernobyl area, ten years after the worst nuclear accident in history.

The map shows how contaminated radiation covered a significant part of the border between Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. After the accident, a 30-kilometre exclusion zone was established, leading to the evacuation of Pripyat (45,000 inhabitants), Chernobyl (12,000 inhabitants) and 94 other towns with a total of around 115,000 inhabitants.

According to data published by the CIA, in Belarus, the cities of Mazyr (population 150,000) and Gomel (population 500,000) received radiation levels similar to those recorded on the Ukrainian side of the border, although measurements on this side of the border were limited.

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