The Congo Volcano, in Spanish the and also known as Congo Mountain, , is an

inactive volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, situated in the Cordillera Central range near the

Poás Volcano The Poás Volcano, ( es, Volcán Poás), is an active stratovolcano in central Costa Rica and is located within Poas Volcano National Park. It has erupted 40 times since 1828, including April 2017 when visitors and residents were evacuated. T ...

and within the

Poás Volcano National Park Poás Volcano National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Volcán Poás) is a national park in Costa Rica that covers an area of approximately ; the summit is . It was established on 25 January 1971. Depending on conditions, visitors can walk all the way ...

. It is often confused with

Platanar Volcano Platanar Volcano is located in the Cordillera Central (Costa Rica), Cordillera Central mountain range. Part of a complex that covers and is dominated by Porvenir Volcano at . It is located within the Juan Castro Blanco National Park. Physical as ...

, which often receives the alternative and incorrect name of .

Toponymy

The name comes from the

Mantled howler The mantled howler (''Alouatta palliata'') is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America. It takes its "mantled" ...

monkey, locally known as Congo monkey, as it is common to find it in the region and its howling can be hear at great distances. The name was in use by the 19th century.

Physical aspects

The Congo volcano is a stratovolcano, with an area of 25 km2, 6 km north of Poás Volcano. The crater is open on its north side, and it is very eroded due to rain, which in turn provides the source for María Aguilar river and its valley.

References

Stratovolcanoes of Costa Rica Mountains of Costa Rica Inactive volcanoes {{CostaRica-geo-stub