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- Spanish:
- Volcán Pico de Orizaba
- Also called:
- Citlaltépetl Volcano
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Volcano Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltépetl)
Volcano Pico de Orizaba, Veracruz and Puebla, Mexico.
Volcano Pico de Orizaba
volcano, Mexico
Also known as: Citlaltépetl Volcano, Volcán Pico de Orizaba
Volcano Pico de Orizaba, volcano on the border of Veracruz and Puebla states, south-central Mexico. Its name is derived from the Nahuatl for “Star Mountain.”
How Volcanoes Work, Explained By a VolcanologistVolcanologist Janine Krippner dives into the details.
See all videos for this articleThe volcano rises on the southern edge of the Mexican Plateau, about 60 miles (100 km) east of the city of Puebla. Towering 18,406 feet (5,610 meters) above sea level, the Pico de Orizaba’s symmetrical snowcapped cone is the third highest peak in North America, after Mount McKinley (Denali) in the U.S. state of Alaska and Mount Logan in Yukon territory, Canada. The volcano has been dormant since 1687. Pico de Orizaba was first climbed in 1838.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.
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