EncyclopediaMerapi, Mount
Merapi, Mount (murä'pē) [key][Indonesian=mountain of fire], volcano, 9,551 ft (2,911 m) high, central Java, Indonesia, 20 mi (32 km) NNE of Yogyakarta. It is the most active of Indonesia's many volcanoes, but most of its eruptions are relatively small. In 1006, however, its eruption caused devastation throughout central Java and destroyed a Hindu kingdom on the island. Merapi's eruptions are often accompanied by clouds of scalding gas; it was this phenomenon that killed some 60 people during its 1994 eruption. Local people are said to revere Merapi as a representation of Hinduism's holy Mt. Meru or as the dwelling place of ancient protective spirits.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
