Krakatoa is a volcanic island located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. The island measures 3 miles wide by 5 1/2 miles long.
Before a massive eruption in 1883, Krakatoa consisted of three volcanic peaks: Perboewatan, Danan and Rakata. On Aug. 27, 1883, four explosions caused the collapse of Perboewatan and Danan into the sea. The collapse triggered a tsunami with a 120-foot wave that overtook small islands in the area. The eruptions sent 11 cubic miles of debris into the sky, including layers of sulfur dioxide and other gases that blanketed the world's atmosphere. Because of the Krakatoa eruption, global temperatures were 1.2 degrees cooler for five years.
