Mount Etna (also known as Muncibedu in Sicilian and Mongibello in Italian, a combination of Latin mons and Arabic gibel, both meaning mountain, in Latin, Aetna) is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. Its Arabic name was Jebel Utlamat (the Mountain of Fire). It is the largest active volcano in Europe, currently standing 3,329 m (10,924 ft) high, though it should be noted that this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m (69 ft) lower now than it was in 1981. It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km² (460 sq mi) with a basal circumference of 140 km. This makes it by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius.