City of Naples Near Mount Vesuvius, Italy
40.8N 14.2EMount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. Here, it appears as a dark brown circle ringed by green and then surrounded by the grey and tan expanse of Naples and its metropolitan area.
It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. Although it is not currently erupting, Vesuvius is today regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people living nearby and its tendency towards explosive (Plinian) eruptions. It is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world.