A panorama showing the sunset from Mount Teide on the sea of cloud beneath
The summit of Mount Teide is 3,718-metre (12,198 ft) which is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlantic. At 7,500 m (24,600 ft) from its base on the ocean floor, it is the third highest volcano in the world, after Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii.
It remains active: its most recent eruption occurred in 1909 from the El Chinyero vent on the northwestern Santiago rift. The United Nations Committee for Disaster Mitigation designated Teide a Decade Volcano because of its history of destructive eruptions and its proximity to several large towns.