There are roughly 1,500 active volcanoes today, in 81 countries, ready to erupt at any moment. Yet, a majority of them have people living alongside their slopes. Why?
Click start to play the Weekend Crossword. How many volcanoes can you identify in our puzzle?
According to an August 2019 report by National Geographic, of the 1,500 active volcanoes around the world, about six per cent erupt each year – that’s between 50 to 85 volcanoes. And when volcanoes decide to erupt, they are a force of Nature. A recent example is Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo – one of the few places in the world that is a living reality of the volcano pictures children draw in school, with a lake of lava bubbling in its summit crater.
In May this year, its crater lake overflowed in an eruption, and lava poured down its slopes, piling as high as three stories and invading several villages around it, according to a May 2021 National Geographic report. Some of the lava even headed towards Goma, a city that is home to 1.5 million people and only 9.6 km away from the volcano. It eventually stopped in Goma’s northern district, totalling a destruction of over 1,000 homes and the death of 32 people.
This time, Goma escaped relatively unscathed. But in 2002, the same volcanic eruption sent molten rock to eviscerate the homes of around 120,000 people, killing 250.
It may seem counterintuitive to live next to a volcano. But there are unique benefits. Many people depend on the rich mineral deposits in the soil near active volcanoes for excellent farming. Also, the geothermal energy of volcanoes can be used to power technological systems for nearby villages.
Moreover, volcano tourism has boomed in the last decade, thanks in part to social media. For instance, Kilauea volcano in Hawaii receives around 2.6 million visitors annually and it last erupted in September 2018, according to a Canada-based CTV News report from December 2019. The tourist influx creates an opportunity for jobs in nearby hotels, restaurants, souvenir gift shops, and as tour guides.
Would you live near a volcano? Play the Weekend Crossword and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
