Hot Spots
At least 1,511 different volcanoes have erupted in the last 10,000 years and there are many more that are dormant or extinct.

Tungurahua, Ecuador
Tungurahua, known as ‘The Black Giant’, is an active stratovolcano with a 600-foot (183 m) wide crater. Tungurahua has erupted at least 17 times in the past - its most recent in 1944, when it erupted explosively from its central crater. It causes many tremors in the nearby city of Banos, whose 20,000 inhabitants anxiously await the next explosive eruption.

Kilauea, Hawaii
Kilauea is generally regarded as the world's most active volcano, having been in a state of near-continuous eruption since 1983. Although Kilauea is large, it is just a bump on the flank of Mauna Loa volcano. However, Kilauea has its own magma-plumbing system, extending to the surface from more than 60 km deep in the earth.

Soufriere Hills, Montserrat, West Indies
This volcano has been erupting (pyroclastic flows) off and on since 1995, when a series of long term, small-to-moderate intensity eruptions forced the evacuation of the southern half of the island. The capital city of the island was destroyed under six million tonnes of volcanic ash, creating social and economic upheaval.

Mount Unzen, Japan
Mount Unzen, a 1,486-metre dome on the southern island of Kyushu, erupted in 1991, killing 43 people and leaving nearly 2,300 homeless. Another 11,000 people were evacuated from the area until 1995, when the volcano was found to be stable.

Vesuvius, Naples, Italy
Vesuvius has a long history; its oldest rock is about 300,000 years old and its famous 79 AD eruption buried the Roman towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Vesuvius is a stratovolcano, producing gas-rich viscous lavas. This combination leads to the potential for an explosive eruption that could threaten the livelihood of 1.5 million local inhabitants.

Popocatepetl, Mexico
Popocatepetl - an Aztec name meaning ‘Smoking Mountain’ - is a snow-capped stratovolcano that stands 4,200 metres above the surrounding basin. ‘Popo’ is built on an older volcano; the new cone consists of many steep lava flows that alternate with thick pyroclastic layers. Popo has erupted at least 36 times, with the most recent activity starting in 1995 and continuing into 1997.

Merapi, Java, Indonesia
Indonesia contains more active volcanoes (130) than any country on Earth. Merapi, meaning ‘Mountain of Fire’, is a stratovolcano in central Java. Merapi has had 68 historic eruptions since 1548; the current eruption began in 1987. The volcano is considered sacred and every year a priest climbs to the top to make an offering.

Cotopaxi, Ecuador
Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano that is 19,388 feet (5,911 metres) high. It has erupted 50 times since 1738. The 1877 eruption melted snow and ice on the summit, which produced mudflows that travelled 100 km from the volcano.

Sheveluch, Kamchatka, Russia
Sheveluch is a great stratovolcano with faults splitting it into two parts. The northeast side is highest and has the shape of the original volcano; this portion is not active and is covered by ice. The lower southwest portion has a small stratovolcano cone, where eruptions still occur. Sheveluch has erupted at least 28 times, with its most recent eruption occurring in 1997.

Mount Rainier, Washington State, USA
Mount Rainier is a huge, 730,000-year-old stratovolcano. It is potentially dangerous because it is very steep. Covered in large amounts of ice and snow, it has been the source of numerous lahars (debris flows) that buried now densely populated areas, as far as 100 kilometres from the volcano.

Mount Hood, Oregon, USA
Mount Hood is the tallest mountain in Oregon and is popular with skiers and climbers. This stratovolcano is made of lava flows, domes, and volcaniclastic deposits. During its most recent eruptive period, 250-180 years ago, lava domes collapsed and produced numerous pyroclastic flows and lahars. Similar eruptions in the future pose the greatest risk to communities on the flank of the volcano.

Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
Europe’s most active volcano, Etna is a shield volcano, which has erupted at least 190 times in the last 3,500 years. The most recent eruption, when five fissures cracked and spewed lava, ash and rock, was in July 2001. The eruption caused about $3.1 million in damage, including losses in tourism and agriculture.

Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia
The eruption of Nevado del Ruiz on November 13, 1985 killed more than 23,000 people in nearby Armero, when lahars (volcanic debris flows) swept down from its explosive crater. The eruption of Ruiz was the second mostly deadly of the 20th century (Mount Pelee in Martinique was first, killing 29,000 people in 1902).