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Scarcity of food for long periods of time can lead to mass starvation. Famine has affected numerous nations throughout history. The reasons for these food shortages can vary, but are often associated with one or a combination of factors, including natural disasters, war, poverty, and government action (or inaction).

In this gallery, we remember the most devastating famines in world history. Click on to learn more.

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Not only were the Middle Ages a dark period of history, but there’s also not a lot of records available. Though we do know that heavy rains did affect crops and consequently sparked a famine in Europe in 1315.

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It got so bad that families were abandoning their children and the elderly were starving themselves to death, just so that other members of the family could survive. How many people died as a result is unknown, but estimates point to millions.

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There were at least 12 different famines between 1765 and 1858 in the Indian subcontinent. The failure of the monsoons in 1768 dried up the rice fields and led to a famine. And if that wasn’t enough, it coincided with a period of drought.

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While many fled to Nepal, it’s estimated that at least one third of the population of the Purnea province died of starvation. By the end of the famine, 10 million people had died.

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India was hit with a famine in the 18th century that became known as the “skull famine” because the bodies of victims would be left unburied.

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For about eight years, the country experienced alternating droughts and El Niño events. The famine was so severe in some provinces that numerous villages were abandoned. The death toll was an estimated 11 million.

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Also known as the Great Hunger, this famine was caused by a fungus-like organism that affected potato production in Ireland in the 19th century.

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Countless people relied on this crop for survival, and many fled the country in an attempt to survive. It’s believed that approximately two million people died as a result.

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Northern China suffered a devastating famine during the late 1870s. The famine was a result of a combination of factors, although it’s not completely clear what really caused it. Some records mention heavy rains, flooding, drought, warfare, disease, and also animal plagues (e.g. locusts and rats).

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Other records also mention inflated food prices as well as the government’s failure to deal with the situation effectively. It is estimated that between nine and 13 million people died as a result.

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The Chinese Famine of 1907, which occurred during the Qing dynasty, is the second worst famine in world history.

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By the end of 1906, heavy rains and flooding destroyed crops in several provinces. By the beginning of 1907, it’s estimated that about four million people were starving.

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Those starving congregated in overcrowded camps, where disease was rampant. Luckily, the famine got the media’s attention and other countries helped China overcome the disaster. Nonetheless, it is estimated that around 25 million people died.

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Britain took over Iran in 1917, and a major famine followed. The British started hoarding food to feed their troops stationed in other regions, though some believed they were deliberately causing the famine.

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The situation was aggravated by drought and disease (including cholera, the plague, typhoid, and typhus). Estimates of how many people died vary. Some accounts point to two million, while others go as high as 10 million.

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Russia was hit by a severe famine from 1921 to 1922. The famine was the result of a combination of factors, including drought and the country's involvement in a number of wars including World War I, the Russian Civil War, and the 1917 Russian Revolution.

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The Soviet control of Russian crops and livestock, as well as destruction of farms, contributed to the death of at least five million people.

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In the late 1920s, the Wei River Valley was severely affected by drought, drying up 9.2 million acres of land, leading to around six million people fleeing the area.

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Around three to 10 million people died as a result. The Famine Relief Commission estimated that up to four million were impoverished.

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The Holodomor, also known as the Terror-Famine or the Great Famine, took place in Soviet-era Ukraine. “Holodomor” means "death inflicted by starvation."

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Joseph Stalin caused this famine in Ukraine by seizing control of the country’s farms. It’s estimated that around four million tons of grain were shipped out of Ukraine, leaving many to starve to death. Between four million and seven million people died as a result.

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Drought hit China's Henan province in 1942, and the government decided to tax farmers the little that was left so they could feed troops during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

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Flooding and plagues of locusts also affected crops, leading to the death of somewhere about two million people.

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This famine hit the Bengal province of India during World War II. But unlike the one in 1770, natural events weren’t to blame. Instead, the British government was.

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Massive inflation, panic buying, rationing of food, and high taxes led many to starvation. Winston Churchill blamed the people though, saying that Indians were "breeding like rabbits." It’s estimated that around three million people died as a result of the famine.

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Also known as the Soviet Famine, this was the second big famine to hit Ukraine, though this time it spread as far as Belarus.

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It was caused by drought, which had a huge impact on crop production. And the little that was produced was shipped to the cities. The death toll was an estimated near four million.

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Unlike other famines, where droughts or similar things destroyed crops, this famine was triggered by the Chinese Communist Party. More specifically, by the economic and social campaign launched by Chairman Mao Zedong, called "The Great Leap Forward."

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The campaign saw millions of farmers becoming miners. Peasants were forced to abandon private production, and the new agricultural communes were not enough to feed the country.

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The famine began in 1959 and lasted until 1961. By the end of it, around 30 million people had died from starvation. It remains the worst famine in history to this day.

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It’s difficult to know what happens in North Korea, but we know that indeed a famine hit the country from 1994 to 1998.

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According to USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios, the famine was mostly caused by the country's “Stalinist economic system.” Though the government said the culprit was flooding.

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The government cut off food supplies to poorer regions so that cities would survive. Government officials said that about 235,000 people died, but the actual death toll is estimated to be somewhere between 2.5 million and 3.5 million.

Sources: (BMJ) (Encyclopedia of Disaster Relief) (Journal of Chinese History) (The Medieval History Journal 1 and 2) (Disaster History) (University of Minnesota) (Warwick University) (Wilson Center) (Grunge)