Tungurahua Volcano, which was declared a Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2025, is situated in which one among the following countries?

Answer: (a) Ecuador

Tungurahua (about 5,000 m) is an active stratovolcano in the Ecuadorian Andes, above the town of Baños; its geopark joined UNESCO’s list in 2025.

The idea

An oceanic plate sinking beneath a continent can produce a volcanic mountain belt. Water released by the sinking plate helps the mantle above it melt; the slab does not simply melt into lava. Locate Tungurahua within the Andean volcanic belt of western South America.

Nazca plate moves towards South America → Oceanic plate sinks beneath the continent → Water leaves the sinking slab → Mantle above it partly melts → Magma rises through cracks → Repeated eruptions build a volcano

Why the others are wrong

(b) Peru’s famous volcanoes are El Misti and Ubinas.

(c) Bolivia’s Andes have Sajama and the Uyuni salt flats, not Tungurahua.

(d) Colombia’s best-known volcano is Nevado del Ruiz.

The trap

All four options are Andean countries with volcanoes. Only the name gives it away: Tungurahua is in Ecuador’s “Avenue of the Volcanoes”.

Also know

Cotopaxi is another Ecuadorian volcano; El Misti and Ubinas are in Peru, and Nevado del Ruiz is in Colombia. The Andes also contain high peaks that are not volcanoes. A UNESCO Global Geopark recognises geological heritage and its use in education and local development; it is a different designation from a World Heritage Site.