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Mount Vesuvius: size, dimension and comparison

The adopted reference is about 1.281 km.

summit elevation above sea level

1.281 km = 1,281 m. A kilometer contains 1,000 meters.

The iconic active volcano of the Bay of Naples, famous for its eruption in AD 79.

Explore at this scale
Mount Vesuvius, interpreted illustration
Interpreted illustration · dimension stated in the fact sheet.

What does this number measure?

Near Naples, Italy, the Somma–Vesuvius complex combines the remains of the older Somma structure and the more recent Vesuvius cone. Its eruption in AD 79 is one of its best-known historical events. The 1 281 m is a reference altitude published by INGV above sea level: it measures neither the volcano's width nor its height from the visible foot in the drawing. The illustrated relief is interpreted and does not come from a topographic model.

Compare the stated dimensions

The comparison uses the number in each fact sheet: altitude, height, diameter, length or distance, depending on the reference. Two values in metres do not necessarily describe the same property.

Compare with Puy de Dôme in the explorer →

Source and limitations

Reference elevation published by INGV; source consulted on 3 November 2026. The precise vertical datum and a local uncertainty are not stated. The drawing is not a topographic measurement.

Vesuvius: interpreted Gran Cono cone and older rim of Monte Somma, with a narrow coastal base. The central summit-to-sea-level segment compares the altitude of 1 281 m; it measures neither the volcano's width nor the slope height from a village. Artistic perspective, profile and width, without a topographic model.