Gunung Merapi - an active Indonesian volcano

Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi (literally Fire Mountain in Indonesian/Javanese), is an active stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the youngest in a group of volcanoes in southern Java. Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. It is located approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) north of Yogyakarta city, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) above sea level.

Smoke can be seen emerging from the mountaintop at least 300 days a year and several eruptions have caused fatalities. Pyroclastic flow from a large explosion killed 27 people on 22 November in 1994, mostly in the town of Muntilan, west of the volcano. Another large eruption occurred in 2006, shortly before the Yogyakarta earthquake. Gunung Merapi truly poses a hazard to populated areas.

This postcard came from Aristia Dwi (20 May 2014) Direct Swap Postcrossing.