The snow-capped peak of Mount Cotopaxi

The snow-capped Mount Cotopaxi, Ecuador's tallest volcano, emerges from the clouds in the background. The foreground is populated by dense forest.Mount Cotopaxi is an active volcano over 19,000 feet from sea level. The volcano has erupted several times in the past 500 years. Most notably, an eruption hastily ended a battle between Incas and Spaniards in 1534. It has been dormant for the last 35 years, though today steam can be seen emanating from its crater.Ecuador is known for a string of active volcanoes, making the country part of the Pacific “ring of fire.”