The exposure of Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, to Russian bombs brought to mind ‘which countries have nuclear power plants.’ Which countries have nuclear power plants? How many nuclear weapons are there in these countries?
COUNTRIES WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS: 2022
The countries with the most nuclear weapons worldwide are permanent members of the United Nations. Eight sovereign states have successfully used nuclear weapons. Five are recognized as “nuclear-armed states” under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The order of acquisition of nuclear weapons is as follows: USA, Russia, United Kingdom, France, and China.
Which Country Has How Many Nuclear Weapons:
- USA: 7000 total (1750 active)
- Russia: Total 7300 (1790 active)
- United Kingdom: Total 215 (120 active)
- France: Total 300 (280 active)
- China: Total 260 (Number of active unknown)
- India: Total between 100-120 (Number of active unknown)
- Pakistan: Total between 110-130 (Active number unknown)
- North Korea: Total 10 (Number of active unknown)
- Israel: Total between 60-400 (Active number unknown)
- German: Total 20 (Active number unknown) [NATO nuclear weapons sharing]
- Turkey: Total between 60-70 (Active number unknown) [NATO nuclear weapons sharing]
- Italy: Total between 70-80 (number of active unknown) [NATO nuclear weapons sharing]
- Belgium: Total between 10-20 (number of active unknown) [NATO nuclear weapons sharing]
- Netherlands: Total 22 (Active number unknown) [NATO nuclear weapons sharing]
WHAT IS A NUCLEAR WEAPON?
A nuclear weapon is a weapon with high destructive power obtained by a combination of nuclear reaction and nuclear fission or by a much more powerful fusion. Unlike general explosives, it is used to cause much more damage. Just one weapon used is capable of completely destroying an entire city or a country, both living and non-living.
In the history of warfare, nuclear weapons were used twice by the United States in the last days of World War II. The first incident occurred on the morning of August 6, 1945, when a uranium-type weapon, code-named Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, a plutonium-type weapon, code-named Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki in the same country. As a result of these weapons, 132,000 people, mostly civilians, lost their lives. After these events, the debate on the use of nuclear weapons gained momentum.
There are two main types of nuclear weapons. The first is fission bombs, which obtain energy by splitting heavy atomic nuclei beyond uranium, such as the uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima, or the plutonium bomb dropped on Nagasaki. In these weapons, fissionable isotopes of heavy elements such as uranium and plutonium, when combined above a certain weight limit, called supercritical mass, can produce a chain reaction that generates enormous power. In the second type, called hydrogen bombs or fusion bombs, a fission bomb is fired to force hydrogen nuclei to fuse, generating very high energy. While fission bombs have theoretical upper limits, there is no upper limit to the power of fusion bombs. The Federation of American Scientists estimates that as of 2012, there were 17,000 nuclear warheads in the world, of which 4,300 were ready for use.
NUMBER OF NUCLEAR REACTORS OWNED BY COUNTRIES
FRANCE
Number of Nuclear Reactors 56
Installed Capacity 61. 370 MW
Energy Produced (percent) 76.18
GERMANY
Number of Nuclear Reactors 17
Installed Capacity 20,470 MW
Energy Produced (percent) 28.82
CHINA
The number of Nuclear Reactors 49 Installed Capacity 47. 498 MW Energy Produced (percent)2.15
USA
Number of Nuclear Reactors 94 Installed Capacity 96,553 MW Energy Produced (percent) 19.66
RUSSIA
Number of Nuclear Reactors: 38 Installed Power 28,578 MW