However, swimming in the clear blue water of Santorini is wonderfully refreshing. Since the beaches have coarse sand, there’s little dust to cloud the water. Don’t come to Santorini primarily for the beaches – come for the volcano boat tours, incredible views, wine, hikes, nightlife, and great food.

• Tungurahua, Ecuador.
• Kīlauea, Hawaii.
• Anak Krakatoa, Indonesia.
• Taal Volcano, Philippines.
• Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.
• Erta Ale, Ethiopia. Erta Ale’s lava lake.
• Mount Merapi, Indonesia. A 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi.
• Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The lava lake at the top of Mount Nyiragongo.

I went around Santorini asking locals and tourists how much they really know about the geologic dangers on the island. Santorini is one of the most explosive volcanic islands in the Aegean Sea. Though it is said to be dormant, a dormant volcano can be triggered at any time causing unforeseeable damage.

At the moment (end of Jan 2012), there are some (still minor) signs that the volcano of Santorini could wake up in a medium future (months to years). It is quite certain, though, that the volcano will erupt in the future again, because it is an active volcano and far from extinct.

400 meters

The island group of Santorini is the most well-known and active volcanic centre of the Hellenic Volcanic Arc in the south Aegean Sea. It is a very complex stratovolcano dominated by a large, sea-flooded caldera created by several large explosive eruptions.

Famous island: Santorini is the most famous island of Greece. Unique beauty: The island is worldwide famous for a good reason: its breathtaking beauty. Traditional villages: The villages of Santorini are mostly built on the edge of huge cliffs offering amazing sea views.

Santorini is complex of overlapping shield volcanoes. Basalt and andesite lava flows that make the shield are exposed in the cliff below the town of Phira.

According to Dr David Karaton who is an expert in Volcanology, “the topographic relief of Santorini before the Minoan eruption was characterized by a smaller port along with a central island, almost similar to today’s Kameni, according to many researchers. But the size and age of this island had remained unknown.

The Minoan eruption

There’s a reason Santorini attracts more than two million tourists each year — the white-and-blue washed island in the Greek Cyclades is basically heaven on earth. But it’s also about twice as expensive as Athens, with hotel prices in the summer climbing to $250, on average, per night.

Despite problems in the Greek economy, it’s still on the expensive side to travel to Greece. Budget travelers should plan on $50 a day, while mid-range to luxury travelers can expect to pay between $150 to $350 a day, or higher if you plan to visit more than one of its 200 islands. All prices are in US dollars.