Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano east of Naples, Italy. 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 on the coast of the Bay of Naples, about nine kilometres (six miles) east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is conspicuous in the beautiful landscape presented by the Bay of Naples, when seen from the sea, with Naples in the foreground.
Although the height of the mountain from time to time changes, he is about 1200 meters high. The crater has a radius of 3 km. The top of the mountain consists of emitted axis. In the year of 79 AC the cities Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed by the eruption. Herculaneum was covered with a thick layer of mud for 20 to 30 meters and Pompeii was burnt to ashes, which the lava was bent a 3 to 4 meters below the earth's surface. Much of the ruins of Pompeii has been excavated and opened for viewing. In March 1944 during the second World War burst Vesuvius for the last time. Vehicles of military allies evacuated the population of three villages on the slopes. Today Vesuvius is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people now living close to it and its tendency towards explosive eruptions. It is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world.
Mount Vesuvius was regarded by the Greeks and Romans as being sacred to the hero and demigod Heracles/Hercules, and the town of Herculaneum, built at its base, was named after him.
