Indonesia’s ‘Ring of Fire’: Key facts about the world's most volcanic nation
Recent eruptions of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau have disrupted air travel for over 270,000 people, highlighting the country's position on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' with over 100 active volcanoes. Indonesia has 127 active volcanoes, with five currently at the second-highest alert status, and has experienced deadly volcanic events in the past.
Why it matters
Indonesia's frequent volcanic activity poses ongoing natural disaster risks, impacting public safety, infrastructure, and air travel, with potential for significant humanitarian and economic consequences in a densely populated region.
The latest eruptions of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau disrupted air travel , affecting more than 270,000 people, and underscored the threat posed by the Southeast Asian country’s more than 100 active volcanoes — the highest number of any country in the world.
Here are key facts about volcanoes in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of over 17,000 islands that sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, resulting in frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes:
Indonesia has 500 volcanoes, 127 of which are active, according to the country’s volcanology agency.
Of those active volcanoes, the agency closely monitors 69, through a network of 74 observation points.
According to the Washington-based Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, Indonesia is followed by the United States and Japan with the most active volcanoes.
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