According to sources, since 1600, 278,880 people have been killed by volcanic activity and many of these deaths are attributed to secondary hazards associated with the main eruption. Mount Tambora, again in Indonesia, eruption in 1815 which led to 92,000 people dying of starvation.
Vesuvius, Italy
This volcano, known for its intense form of eruption in 79AD, destroyed the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe, and has produced some of the continent's largest volcanic eruptions to date. Located on Italy's west coast, it overlooks the Bay and City of Naples and sits in the crater of the ancient Somma volcano.
If this volcano were to erupt today, it is highly likely that much of the population would already have been evacuated as a precursory measure.
Though the volcano's last eruption was in 1944, it still represents a great danger to the cities that surround it — especially the busy metropolis of Naples.
Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo
This volcano has erupted several times over the last decade. One such eruption took place on January 17 2002.
The volcano has a lava lake in its crater and the lava has known to reach speeds of 60 km/h.
When Nyiragongo erupted in 2002, there was little warning as the lava reached the city of Goma. Homes were destroyed by the scorching ash and lava and many people lost their lives.
Popocatepetl, Mexico
Popocatepetl is one of the worlds most dangerous volcanoes, nicknamed El Popo.
After almost 50 years of dormancy, El Popo came back to life in 1994. Since then, it's been producing powerful explosions at irregular intervals.
In 2000, the eruption of the peak was the most dramatic for over a thousand years. More than 50,000 people crowded the roads as they rushed to evacuate from the 40 villages located on the slopes of the mountain or close to it.
Local farming communities were slow to move initially, despite official warnings, because they didn't want to leave their crops.
Krakatoa, Indonesia
Krakatau erupted in August 1883 and is one of the most deadly volcanic eruptions of modern history.
More than 36,000 people died, many as a result of thermal injury from the blast.
Changbaishan, China
Not many people have heard of this volcano — it is situated in a remote part of Asia and it last erupted in 1903.
In 969AD, according to experts, the volcano produced one of the largest eruptions of the last 10,000 years and released three times more material than Krakatoa did in 1886.
