12 Volcanoes You Probably Didn't Know Were Active

Think volcanoes are beautiful? You'll never guess how dangerous so many of them currently are. Be sure to see Pompeii in theaters, February 21.

1. Mount Merapi, Indonesia

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Fact: "Merapi" means "the one making fire" in old Javanese.

2. Popocatépetl, Mexico

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Fact: "Popo" is historically known for producing such giant mud flows they've covered entire Aztec pyramids.

3. Sakurajima, Japan

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Fact: Sakurajima is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, exploding with ash every 4–24 hours.

4. Galeras, Colombia

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Fact: The Galeras volcanic complex has been active for more than one million years.

5. Mt. Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo

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Fact: This volcano has the largest lava lake in the world.

6. Taal Volcano, Philippines

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Fact: The Taal Volcano is one of the most closely monitored in the world after the extreme devastation it caused in 1911, killing over a thousand people.

7. Mauna Loa, Hawaii

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Fact: Mauna Loa is the largest volcano in the world — its size is equivalent to 85 percent all of the other Hawaiian Islands put together.

8. Yellowstone Caldera, United States of America

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Fact: Only just recently did scientists discover that the size of the magma body under Yellowstone is much larger than they ever thought, with a depth of 470 miles.

9. Ulawun, Papua New Guinea

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Fact: This volcano is amongst some of the world's richest sources of sulphur dioxide.

10. Stromboli, Italy

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Fact: Stromboli has been nicknamed Lighthouse of the Mediterranean because it's visible from the surrounding sea.

11. Mount Yasur, Vanautu

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Fact: Mount Yasur is considered to be extremely dangerous as it's very accessible, causing tourists to peer into its crater and be hit by shooting lava and rocks.

12. Mount Vesuvius, Italy

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Fact: Mount Vesuvius killed 20,000 people in Pompeii in A.D. 79 by heating the air to 250 degrees Celsius.