Introduction

Rainfall-induced landslides are common in many regions under tropical or subtropical climates (Lumb, 1962; Brand, 1984; Fourie, 1996; Glade et al., 2006; Sidle and Ochiai, 2006; Schuster and Highland, 2007). Figure 1.1 shows the global landslide susceptibility map of rainfall-induced landslides produced by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with combination of surface landslide susceptibility and a real-time space-based rainfall analysis system (Hong and Adler, 2008). The red and orange indicate regions with high-potential landslide risk include the Pacific Rim, the Alps, the Himalayas and South Asia, Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, and parts of the Middle East and Africa. Based on the historical records, most catastrophic landslides and debris flows have occurred in China, India, Japan, Singapore, the United States, Italy, Brazil, and Venezuela. Here, some of the most notable landslides in different regions are briefly introduced.