In the waters of the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, there is an archipelago consisting of 7107 islands. Their total area is 299,700 km². They extend south for 2,000 km, east for 35,000 km. This is a truly unique place where a variety of inhabitants meet and there are many unusual places, among which are the volcanoes of the Philippines. There are 37 of them, 18 of them are active. Some showed up not so long ago, no more than 10 years ago.
Mayon
This volcano is very famous as it erupts frequently. Over the past 400 years, more than 50 of its eruptions have been recorded. Mayon Volcano is located at Bicol, in the southeastern part of the island of Luzon. It is an interesting landmark of the islands, has a regular conical shape with a narrow crater, from which smoke always comes out. The height of the Mayon volcano is 2462 meters. This mountain looks very beautiful and, by the way, is considered the most picturesque volcano in the world.
Woduring the eruption, the named volcano of the Philippines acquires a special beauty and at the same time a terrifying appearance. Hot lava begins to flow along its slopes, and thick clouds of smoke rise up.
The most destructive eruption here occurred in 1814. Then this powerful mountain of the Philippines destroyed the city of Sagzava and caused the death of over 1200 people. The last eruption was in 2009, but we can say that the mountain warned about this in advance: the smoke began to come out more actively, and lava slowly flowed down the slopes. And only three years later the eruption became active. To save the local population, a large-scale evacuation was carried out.
Pinatubo
Among all the volcanoes in the Philippines, Pinatubo is considered the largest. It is located on the island of Luzon, 93 kilometers from Manila. This volcano is active, although for many years it was considered extinct. Its last eruption was in 1991. In terms of power, it surpassed other eruptions of the last century.
Now the height of the mountain is 1486 meters, and before 1991 it was higher - 1745 m. Due to activity, a new crater with a diameter of 2.5 km was formed in the center. Now there is water in it, the reserves of which are replenished during the rains. The new lake is very popular with tourists visiting the islands.
The eruption of this volcano in the Philippines began unexpectedly. The mountain slept for six centuries, but at the end of the twentieth century it suddenly woke up. For a week, the volcano raged. Powerful explosions caused heavy smoke emissions, the death of thousands of people and devastationsurroundings. The strongest explosion caused an eruptive column 34 km high. Huge columns of ash covered the sky for several hours, and the entire surrounding area was in complete darkness.
Now scientists are monitoring the activity of the volcano, as it shows little activity in the form of tremors. Because of them, construction within a radius of two kilometers is prohibited. After the last eruption, vegetation gradually appears on the slopes.
Taal
On the island of Luzon, 50 km from Manila, there is another volcano in the Philippines - Taal. It is considered the smallest active volcano in the world. Taal rises as an island on the lake of the same name, which was formed due to early eruptions occurring about 500 thousand years ago.
It has erupted more than thirty times since 1572. Its strongest activity was noted in 1911 - more than 1300 people died. The force of the eruption was so powerful that in ten minutes it destroyed all life within a radius of 10 kilometers, and a cloud of ash was visible from a distance of 400 km. This eruption was called Peleian, when emissions occur not only from craters, but even from cracks on the slopes. At the same time, the formidable mountain of the Philippines did not throw out lava, but ash and superheated steam. Its last eruption was in 1965, when 200 people died.
Kanlaon
There are many active volcanoes on the islands of the Philippines, one of which is Kanlaon. It is located 30 kilometers from the city of Bacolod. This mountain has several craters.and volcanic peaks. Kanlaon is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire - a band of active volcanoes that runs along the borders of the ocean from Kamchatka to Antarctica.
The top of the mountain is at around 2435 m and is the highest point of the island of Negros. Mounts Silai and Mandalagan rise near Kanlaon. For 125 years, the volcano erupted 26 times with small emissions of lava and ash. There was also an eruption in 1996, although scientists did not predict it. At that moment, 24 people climbed the summit and several of them died.
Despite its bad temper, Kanlaon is considered a real Mecca for tourists. More than 40 tourist routes leading to the summit have been laid along the adjacent territory. The shortest trail is eight kilometers, and the longest one takes more than two days to get to the top.
Apo
Near the Philippine city of Davao on the island of Mindanao is Mount Apo, a potentially active volcano. It consists of the ancient crater Pettil McKinley and the stratovolcano Apo. This is the highest volcano in the Philippines, with a height of 2954 meters. The crater is 500 m in diameter and contains a small lake.
Apo is one of the most popular mountains among climbers and climbers. It takes two days to reach the summit by the shortest route, and eight days on average by the most difficult route. On the way, tourists pass Lake Venado. This is a very beautiful alpine place where you can see sulfuric gases escaping to the surface.
In 1936, the entire mountain was included in the national park. And in 2009 the Filipinothe Department of Conservation has applied for the inclusion of the park in the list of natural heritage.
Other volcanoes
Another attraction is Bulusan. There are four craters on its top. It is the most frequently erupting volcano. The last activity was recorded in 2011. Climbing this mountain is done only by scientists and wild tourists seeking to conquer mountain peaks.
One of the unusual dormant volcanoes is Arayat, located on the island of Luzon. An unusual legend is associated with the mountain, which says that once the great magician Mariang Sinukuan moved the mountain from the swamps for the benefit of the local population. At the top of the mountain is a crater. Periodically, a jet of steam comes out of it, but there is no evidence of an eruption.
There are many other volcanoes on the islands of the Philippines that attract with their beauty and make these places unique.
