Volcano is a mountain or hill formed by the accumulation of materials erupted through one or more openings (called volcanic vents) in the earth's surface. The term volcano can also refer to the vents themselves. Most volcanoes have steep sides, but some can be gently sloping mountains or even flat tablelands, plateaus, or plains. The volcanoes above sea level are the best known, but the vast majority of the world's volcanoes lie beneath the sea. Three different types of materials may erupt from an active volcano. These materials are lava, tephra which are rock fragments, and gases. The type and amount of the material that erupts from an active volcano depends on the composition of the magma inside the volcano.

Volcanoes are estimated to kill almost 1,000 people per year and caused $99,000,000 worth of economic damages from 1980 to 2008. When an active volcano erupts its “danger zone” is about a 20 mile radius around the volcano itself, which ends up killing people, destroying houses, land, etc.

Known worldwide is the volcano of Tambora. On April 5th, 1815, many people didn’t think it would be their last day of their life. This volcano has one of the most tragic stories with the most deaths recorded by one single volcano in history. The volcano of Tambora killed 80,000 people directly and indirectly. Most of the people that died were from Sumbawa Island and a lot of people died later on due to starvation because the lack of food and disease.