Taal, Lake [key], 103 sq mi (267 sq km), SW Luzon, the Philippines, 40 mi (65 km) S of Manila. One of the most picturesque places in the country, the lake lies within a caldera formed by explosive volcanic eruptions that ended c.3580 b.c. It contains Volcano Island or Taal Volcano, rising to 1,020 ft (311 m), with more than 40 craters; it is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, capable of producing devastating pyroclastic flows. The eruptions of 1911 and 1965 were deadly and destructive, and after settlements on the island were again destroyed in 2020 the government banned residents from returning.
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