Which country has the most volcanoes?
Indonesia has the most active volcanoes in the world, with about 120, and more historically active volcanoes than any other country. The United States and Japan also have very many.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire and along other plate boundaries, where several tectonic plates meet. Its volcanoes have produced some of the most powerful eruptions in history. The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora was the largest in recorded history, and the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa was heard thousands of kilometers away.
The United States has about 160 potentially active volcanoes, many of them in Alaska's Aleutian Islands, as well as in Hawaii and the Cascade Range. Japan has 111 active volcanoes, including Mount Fuji. Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and Chile also have large numbers.
Living with volcanoes
Millions of Indonesians live near active volcanoes because volcanic soil is very fertile for farming. Authorities monitor volcanoes closely and evacuate people when eruptions are expected. Volcanoes such as Mount Merapi and Mount Semeru erupt frequently.
Did You Know?
The 1815 Tambora eruption cooled the global climate so much that 1816 became known as the year without a summer in Europe and North America.