Krakatoa’s 1883 eruption caused destructive tsunamis in the Sunda Strait.
The volcano, then commonly called Krakatoa, lies between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. Its climactic explosions occurred on 27 August 1883, after months of increasing activity. Much of the volcanic island collapsed into the sea, displacing seawater and generating waves that devastated nearby coastlines.
The disaster killed more than 36,000 people, with most deaths attributed to tsunamis rather than direct volcanic effects. The eruption was heard thousands of kilometres away and sent ash high into the atmosphere. Global sunsets became unusually vivid for months because of airborne volcanic particles.
A new volcanic cone, Anak Krakatau, later emerged in the caldera left by the eruption. Mount Tambora, another Indonesian volcano, produced an even larger eruption in 1815, so the two events are sometimes confused. Krakatoa’s global atmospheric effects nevertheless made it one of the best-documented eruptions of its era.