The Indian Ocean tsunami left nearly 230,000 people dead or missing and another 2 million homeless when it slammed into a dozen Asian and African countries on Dec. 26, 2004.

An eight minute magnitude 9.15 earthquake, the world's biggest in four decades, triggered the killer waves which tore up roads, ports, homes and fields. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, the Andaman Islands and the Maldives were the worst-affected countries.

The northern Indonesian province of Aceh bore the brunt of the disaster with 170,000 people dead or missing and half a million homeless.

Thousands of people are still in temporary accommodation throughout the tsunami region two years after the disaster.

Indonesia needs 128,000 new homes. At least 57,000 had been built by December 2006 but many have not been occupied.

Some survivors have chosen to remain in temporary barracks because they receive a daily stipend and other provisions. Others have not moved because their new settlements still lack electricity and other infrastructure.

The tsunami generated a record amount of aid - more than $13 billion. Governments and aid agencies say the unprecedented generosity helped them meet emergency needs fast, but reconstruction has been slower than hoped.

Reuters AlertNet tracked how much money governments, multilateral agencies and the public donated after the tsunami in its Tsunami AidWatch project.

For recent news on the tsunami, click here.

Below are some stories and factboxes on the relief and reconstruction effort:

Tsunami response was world's best - U.N.

Post tsunami chaos wasted aid, says IFRC

FACTBOX: Problems dog tsunami effort

Q & A: Corruption and aid

GRAPHIC: How generous are the biggest tsunami donors?