When looking for the ten highest volcanoes in the world, the starting point should first be defined. The following list arranges the volcanoes according to their height above sea level and contains only active volcanoes.
1.Nevado Ojos del Salado (6,893 m) in Argentina and Chile:
Experts disagree about the highest volcano in the world, whether it is at rest or active. Outbreaks are not known, but there are regularly lighter gas and sulfur emissions on the mountain.
2.Guallatiri (6,071 m) in Chile:
This volcano in the Andes is a popular destination for ambitious mountaineers, the last eruption was documented in 1960.
3.Cotopaxi (5,911 m) in Ecuador:
The last eruption on the Cotopaxi was in 1940. At the time of the Incas, the Cotopaxi was worshiped as a sanctuary. The Incas believed that the rain gods lived on the summit and gave their country fertility.
4. Popocatépetl (5,462 m) in Mexico:
The Popocatépetl has another sister volcano, the Iztaccíhuatl (5,286), which is no longer active. Therefore, these two mountains in Mexico are often referred to as the twin volcano. The last eruption on Popocatépetl was on June 18, 2013.
5. Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4,835 m) in Russia:
The highest volcano outside of Latin America is in the extreme northeast of Russia and last showed activity on December 29, 2009.
6. Mauna Loa (4,139 m) on Hawaii in the USA:
The Mauna Loa lies on an island, which makes it the highest volcano in the world according to another definition. Since the sea is over 5,000 meters deep at this point, the Mauna Loa would even tower over Mount Everest on land.
7. Mount Erebus (3,794 m) in the Antarctic:
Mount Erebus gained notoriety in November 1979 when a plane crashed with over 250 fatalities. The volcano has been active with minor interruptions since 2011.
8. Fuji (3,776 m) in Japan:
Mount Fuji is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world and is considered a sacred site in Japan. That is why Mount Fuji is an important place of pilgrimage in Japan. The last eruption was in the early 18th century around 1707/08.
9.Nyiragongo (3,470 m) in Congo:
The Nyiragongo is the highest active volcano in Africa. The region around the volcano, which was last active in 2012, benefits from Nyiragongo, as the mountain is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world.
- Etna (3,330 m) in Sicily:
Etna is not only the highest volcano in Europe, but also by far the most active volcano on the continent. In the recent past there was volcanic activity on Etna that lasted for several months, for example between January 1992 and March 1993.
The height of volcanoes can change due to eruptions. A particularly drastic example of this is Mount St. Helens (2,549 m) in the USA, whose eruption on May 8, 1980 is one of the best known in history. During this eruption, a large part of the northern slope was blown away and the Monut Helens lost about 450 meters in height.
