These beautiful cities across the world all have one thing in common: a neighboring volcano. Read on to see which places could be ruined by a volcanic event:

Naples, Italy
It’s gorgeous, but if the volcano it was built right next to erupts violently, the entire city could be gone in less than 10 minutes. Wind patterns show that the lava is more likely to flow down the other side of the mountain, so Naples is safe for now.

Hilo, Hawaii, USA
Hilo is right next to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home to the biggest volcano in the world: Mauna Loa. It erupted and spilled lava that came pretty close to the city limits in the 19th century, but the flow is quite slow so the residents would be able to escape in time.

Goma, Congo
The closest one to us is Mount Nyiragongo, a volcano that towers over the city of Goma in Congo. It’s not too well studied because of recent war in the region, but it is big, active, and definitely dangerous. It is also home to the biggest lava lake in the world. In 2002, a huge lava spill did some serious damage – more than 4500 buildings and the local airport were destroyed.

Puerto de la Cruz, Canary Islands, Spain
This peaceful fishing village has become a popular tourist destination, but its neighbor, Mount Teide wiped out Garachico, another neighbouring village, with lava flows in 1709. It’s dormant today, but it is on a few watch lists, just in case.

Santorini, Greece
The ever popular holiday maker’s island Santorini is not built next to a volcano – it is the volcano! The island’s beautiful little white houses are built right into the volcanic rock. Scientists aren’t too worried about an eruption anytime soon, but there is another threat: the tsunami-producing potential of an eruption from a nearby under water volcano called Kolumbo.