Two countries in Europe are on alert since the weekend due to volcanic activity. Italy's Etna on the island of Sicily erupted Sunday, spewing lava and ash towards the sky. Further North, scientists in Iceland are warning after evacuations over the weekend that a major eruption there could be imminent. Large pools of lava have formed underneath the Reykjanes peninsula close to capital Reykjavik and its airport. While Iceland is among the top 8 of countries with the most recently active volcanos at 9, Italy comes further down the list with two volcanos that have been active since 1960, Sicily's Stromboli and Etna.
Indonesia has the world's most recently active volcanos at 55. Japan and the United States follow behind with a count of 40 and 39, the latter country due to volcanic areas in and around Hawaii, Alaska and Pacific territories. Two Latin American countries as well as three nations in the Pacific appear among the top 8. France and the United Kingdom have as many active volcanos as Iceland, albeit in their overseas territories and departments like Guadalupe, Mayotte, French Polynesia and La Réunion as well as the South Sandwich Islands, Ascension and Monserrat, among others.
