Answer: Alaska

When most people think of Alaska, they think of long nights, cold winters, and snowy peaks. As such, we won’t hold it against you if you didn’t immediately think of active volcanoes—and lots of them, at that—when you thought of Alaska.

Alaska is a huge place, however, and it encompasses many of the numerous islands in the long chain of the Aleutian Islands. The chain was created by volcanoes found along the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active area home to many volcanoes all around the rim of the Pacific ocean. The Aleutian Islands chain contains 57 volcanoes, and as recently as 1907, new islands have been spotted poking up out of the ocean as a result of geological activity in the area.

Lest you think that Alaska only tops the list because of the volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands, know that the whole state “combined” contains an astounding 130+ volcanoes and volcanic fields (two of which have erupted as recently as 2017, Bogoslof Island and Mount Cleveland). By comparison, no other U.S. state has near as many volcanoes, active or otherwise.