Hot or Not? Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Most of the world's active volcanoes are concentrated in the area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, which encompasses almost all of Central America, the western parts of North and South America, the countries of Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and New Zealand, and a number of a smaller island groups in the Pacific Ocean. Some extremely active volcanoes, however, are found in different parts of the world.

Located on a small island in the Mediterranean Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, Stromboli is one of the world's most active volcanoes, along with nearby Mount Etna. Its current eruptive phase has been going on for over 100 years - earning the volcano the nickname of "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean". Much further north, Iceland - which lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, halfway between North America and Europe - is one of the most volcanic regions on earth, with frequent large-scale eruptions. Hekla, located in the south of the island, is one of the most active of Iceland's many volcanoes, with over 20 eruptions having occurred since the 13th century.

The three volcanoes located in Asia are among the most famous in the world, though for different reasons. The iconic Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain, lies southwest of Tokyo, on the island of Honshu. A strikingly symmetrical, snow-capped cone, it is one of the country's cultural symbols, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed in 2013). Though it has not erupted since 1707, it is still considered active. Mount Tambora, located on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, has a much more sinister claim to fame: its 1815 eruption was the largest and most destructive in recorded history, causing enormous disruptions in global weather patterns due to the amount of debris ejected into the atmosphere. Mount Pinatubo, located in the centre of the northern island of Luzon in the Philippines archipelago, not far from the capital Manila, acquired worldwide notoriety in 1991, when the effects of its violently explosive eruption - the second-largest of the 20th century - caused a drop in global temperatures.

The US boasts 165 volcanoes, 39 of which have been active since 1960. Towering over the Seattle skyline, Mount Rainier is the tallest peak in the Cascades Range of North America's Pacific Northwest. Though it has not been substantially active since the mid-19th century, this large stratovolcano is strictly monitored, and has been listed as one of the 16 Decade Volcanoes - the world's most potentially dangerous. In fact, the melting of its glaciers would be likely to cause massive, devastating mudslides (lahars). Located on the island of Hawai'i - where other four volcanoes are found - Kilauea is characterized by effusive eruptions that can last for a long time. Not surprisingly, the name of this volcano - one of the most active on Earth - means "spewing" in the Hawaiian language.

Situated on three tectonic plates, Mexico is home to a large number of active or dormant volcanoes. With its peak once covered by glaciers, Popocatépetl ("Smoking Mountain" in Nahuatl) lies southeast of Mexico City, from which it is visible; it is connected to another volcano, Ixtaccihuatl ("White Woman"), by a high saddle, the Paso de Cortés. One of Mexico's most active volcanoes, Popocatépetl has a long history of eruptions, and has been particularly restless since the beginning of the 21st century.

The two remaining volcanoes are both part of the Andes range of South America. Ecuador's second-highest mountain (after Chimborazo, which is currently inactive), Cotopaxi lies south of the country's capital of Quito. With a towering height of almost 6,000 m (19,685 ft), its nearly perfect cone topped by one of the few equatorial glaciers of the world, it is also one of the most active volcanoes in the continent, posing a risk to the inhabitants of the nearby areas. Ojos del Salado, on the other hand, lies in a remote area on the border between Chile and Argentina, at the southern end of the extremely arid Atacama Desert. A dormant stratovolcano, it is the world's highest volcano, as well as the second-highest peak in South America.

Of the eight non-volcanic mountains, three are the highest peaks of their respective continents: North America (Denali), South America (Aconcagua), and Antarctica (Vinson Massif). The iconic Matterhorn (in the Alps) and the Gran Sasso (in the Apennines) are both located in Europe, while the biblical Mount Sinai is in the Asian part of Egypt. Mount Stanley, in the Rwenzori range, is the third-highest mountain in Africa, and K2 (in the Karakoram range) is the world's second-highest mountain.