Volcanic peak in the Andes Mountains , central Ecuador.
Rising to 19,347 ft (5,897 m), it is the world's highest continuously active volcano. Its almost perfectly symmetrical cone is often hidden by clouds that are lit at night by the crater's fires. Its base stands on open mountain grassland, and its upper part is covered with permanent snow. With a long record of violent eruption, it has seldom remained quiet for more than 15 years.