Two famous examples of composite volcanoes are Vesuvius in Italy and pretty Mount Fuji in Japan. Most volcanoes take place in an area of the world called the Ring of Fire. Named for its many volcanoes, the Ring of Fire makes a sort of circle around the Pacific Ocean. Other volcanoes often erupt below the sea along chains of underwater mountains. Still other volcanoes erupt in Iceland, southern Europe, and Hawaii.
Some volcanoes destroy land, but others actually make new land.
In 1963, people watched from the coast of Iceland as a volcano erupted in the ocean. Bit by bit, the lava around the volcano grew higher until a brand-new island appeared above the water. The new island was named Surtsey. Geologists watched Surtsey carefully to see what would happen. They found that in only two years' time, the island was already the home of many birds, insects, and plants.