What are the volcano prone areas of the world?

There are many areas around the world where volcanoes reside. Most volcanoes are near plate boundaries (see "what are tectonic plates?") because this is where lava from the mantle is forced upward, to the surface. Volcanoes formed in the middle of plates are formed from "hot spots", regions where hot rock and magma are forced to the surface from deep in the mantle in tube-like formations. As plates slide across these hot spots, lines of volcanoes are formed.