Krakatoa, or
Krakatau , is a
volcanic island situated in the
Sunda Strait between the islands of
Java and
Sumatra in the
Indonesian province of
Lampung. The name is also used for the surrounding island group comprising the remnants of a much larger island of three
volcanic peaks which was obliterated in a cataclysmic
1883 eruption, unleashing huge
tsunamis (killing more than 36,000 people) and destroying over two-thirds of the island. The explosion is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history, with reports of it being heard up to from its point of origin. The
shock waves from the explosion were recorded on
barographs worldwide.