Mount Karthala or
Karthola is an active
volcano and the highest point of the
Comoros at above sea level. It is the southernmost and larger of the two
shield volcanoes forming
Grande Comore island, the largest
island in the nation of Comoros. The Karthala volcano is very active, having erupted more than 20 times since the 19th century. Frequent eruptions have shaped the volcano’s 3 km by 4 km summit
caldera, but the island has largely escaped broad destruction. Eruptions on April 17, 2005 and May 29, 2006 ended a period of quiet.