Mount Etna

http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar374300&st=etna


Mount Etna, «EHT nuh», is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world. It rises 10,902 feet (3,323 meters) on the eastern coast of the island of Sicily. Part of the mountain's base, which is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) around, extends to the Mediterranean Sea.

Mount Etna (sometimes spelled Aetna) makes a colorful picture with its snow-covered peaks, the forests growing on its slopes, and the orchards, vineyards, and orange groves around its base. The region around Etna is the most densely populated area of Sicily. Nearby are the cities of Catania and Acireale, and 63 villages.

Mount Etna has been erupting periodically for thousands of years. Writers of ancient Greece left accounts of Etna's activity. Some of the eruptions have been extremely violent. About 20,000 people were killed in an earthquake that accompanied a 1669 eruption. Several towns were destroyed in 1950 and 1951. Violent eruptions in 1960 ripped a hole in the mountain's east side. Eruptions have also occurred several times since then.