One moment the slumbering giant lays unnoticed, the next moment it grunts and ejects its contents, making its presence not only felt but dreaded too!

So readers, hop on and buckle up your seatbelts as today we are going to take a trip to the world’s most famous volcanoes!

Mount Etna, Sicily

Largest of three active volcanoes in Italy is Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily. Called as Mungibeddu in Sicilian and Mongibello or Montebello in Italian, this volcano occupies a base circumference of about 93 miles and sprawls over an area of almost 459 sq. miles.

Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and has the longest record of continuous eruption. Its location above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate is thought to be the reason behind such frequent and prolonged volcanic activity. With a height of almost 3,329 metres, Mount Etna qualifies as the tallest active volcano on the European continent. However, due to its continuous eruptions its height frequently changes.

This stratovolcano is composed of multiple summit craters: two central craters, the northeast crater and the newest southeast crater.

Mount Etna’s eruption of 1669 is considered to be the worst. Numerous villages and part of the city of Catania turned into ash. There are different beliefs about the casualties from this eruption, however, whatever the numbers, the deep mark carved into the history of the place can never be removed.

The slopes of Mount Etna houses almost 25 per cent of Sicily's population and provide the people with fertile and rich soil for agriculture, vineyards, and orchards.

Every year thousands of visitors come to visit Mount Etna, which is one of Sicily’s main tourist spots. United Nations declared Mount Etna as one of the 16 Decade Volcanoes (a project that encourages studies and public-awareness activities for better understanding of the volcanoes and the dangers they present). It is also on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Mauna Loa, Hawaii

The world’s largest and most active volcano is Mauna Loa, in Hawaii. Rising 13,680 feet above sea level, the flat shield volcano encompasses an area of about 2,035 square miles, some 60 miles long and 30 miles wide, or nearly 50 percent of the entire island.

Its name means ‘Long Mountain’ in Hawaiian and it has been erupting for at least 700,000 years, with the most recent eruption occurring from March 24 to April 15, 1984. Since its first documented historical eruption in 1834, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times and the lava flows it has produced in the past two centuries have covered 310 square miles (803 square kilometre). Mauna Loa’s highest point is 4,170 metre (13,680 feet) above sea level, but the flanks of Mauna Loa continue another 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) below sea level to the sea floor. Thus the total height of Mauna Loa from its true base to its summit, is about 17,170m (56,000ft), which is more than Mount Everest’s.

Mount Pinatubo, Philippines

Known for its catastrophic eruption of 1991, Mount Pinatubo is a chain of composite volcanoes that all gather together to make the Luzon volcanic arc. Straddling on the island of Luzon, near the Tripoint of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga, this active stratovolcano is one of the biggest volcanoes in Philippines and in 1991 it became one of the most renowned volcanoes of the world.

The original height of the mount was approximately 1,760 metres, while after the eruption of 1991 the elevation reduced to almost 1,485 metres.

The Volcanic Explosivity Index or VEI of the gargantuan explosion of 1991 was six. Experts say that the earthquake of 1990, which had the epicentre in Rizal, Nueva Ecija, was the reason behind the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991.

When the massive explosion occurred, the magma and the pyroclastic flow ruined everything within its vicinity. At the same time Typhoon Yunya arrived and aggravated the situation. Despite the precautionary measures that were taken, more than 800 people died and massive destruction occurred.

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the seven summits (the highest peaks of each of the seven continents), is located in Tanzania in East Africa. It lies within the 292 sq. miles Kilimanjaro National Park. This huge stratovolcano is a combination of three volcanoes, namely Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo. The two former ones are extinct with the last one, Kibo, currently dormant. With a height ranging from almost 4,600 metres to 5,895 metres, the mighty mount is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.

There are numerous theories about its origin and the meaning of its name. Some explain the name to be a fusion of a Swahili word kilima, meaning ‘mountain’, and the KiChagga word njaro, which means ‘whiteness’.

Mount Kilimanjaro does not have a history of frequent volcanic activities. In fact, the last major eruption that occurred was almost 360,000 years back, while the most recent activity took place almost 200 years ago.

The famous mount was first ascended by German geologist Hans Meyer, Marangu scout Yoanas Kinyala Lauwo and Austrian Ludwig Purtscheller on October 5, 1889.

Sadly, the signature whiteness of the mount is wearing off due to global warming. In fact, the mount is predicted to become ice free within the next two decades or so. Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Mount Pelee, Martinique

One of the deadliest volcanoes on Earth, Mount Pelee (also known as Montagne Pelée in French), is a stratovolcano and is found on the French island of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles. Named after Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, the infamous mount stands almost 1397 metres tall. This volcano is an example of a ‘lava dome’.

The cone of Mount Pelee is made up of layers of volcanic ash and hardened lava. According to volcanologists, the evolution of the mount comprised three stages: the initial or ‘Paleo-Pelee’ stage, intermediate and modern stage.

Mount Pelee belongs to the curved chain of volcanoes, ‘Lesser Antilles island arc’ which is approximately 530 miles long and is situated between Puerto Rico and Venezuela (South America), where the Caribbean plate meets the Atlantic Oceanic crust belonging to the South American Plate.

The eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902 is considered as one of the worst volcanic eruptions of the 20th century. Dormant from 1851, the monster woke up in 1902 and spilled out scalding, incandescent pyroclastic cloud. Hugging the ground and spreading down the mountain, the pyroclastic flow ignited everything it came in contact with and destroyed the coastal town of St. Pierre. Approximately, 30,000 inhabitants were killed instantly.

Some reports claim the volcano to be dormant, while others assert that it is still active. Also, some reports maintain that the mount is likely to erupt again soon.

Mount Cotopaxi, Ecuador

One of the South America’s most famous volcanoes, Cotopaxi is a snow-covered grandiose stratovolcano located in Ecuador. Soaring to the height of almost 5,897 metres, the mount was once the world’s highest active volcano.

It is said that when translated in an indigenous language, Cotopaxi means the ‘neck of the moon’. Cotopaxi, the second highest summit in Ecuador, has an almost perfectly symmetrical cone with nested summit craters. The rim is almost 550 x 800 metres in diameter and several hundred metres in depth. Since the time of its birth, the volcano had remained one of the most active ones in the world.

However, at the moment, strangely enough, it’s been over 70 years since its last activity. The eruptions of 1744, 1768, 1877, and 1904 remain among the fiercest ones. Colossal damage and huge number of casualties took place as a result of these eruptions. The colonial town of Latacunga also suffered badly at the hands of the volcanic activity of this giant monster.

Alexander von Humboldt was the first European to try climbing Mount Cotopaxi. However, after his failed attempt and that of a few others, finally, in 1872, Wilhelm Reiss, a German scientist and traveller became the first person to reach the summit of Cotopaxi.

Apart from being a threat and the cause of destruction to people, it is also a major tourist spot as this majestic white beauty is truly a marvel to behold!