Mount Etna is Europe’s highest active volcano, located on Sicily and rising to about 3,400 metres.
Its exact elevation changes because eruptions can build or destroy summit cones, so published heights vary. Etna stands on Sicily’s east coast and is one of the world’s most continuously active volcanoes. Its long record of eruptions has produced extensive lava fields and several summit craters.
The volcano’s activity is driven by the movement of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates in the central Mediterranean. Lava flows can threaten settlements, but volcanic ash also contributes to fertile soils that support agriculture on the lower slopes, including vineyards and orchards.
Mount Etna is frequently confused with Mount Vesuvius, the volcano near Naples famous for the destruction of Pompeii in AD 79. Etna is substantially higher and more persistently active. UNESCO added Mount Etna to its World Heritage List in 2013 because of its geological importance and ongoing volcanic processes.