Easy Volcanoes to Visit. Anak Krakatau. Anak Krakatau approach. Krakatau closer. Climbing Krakatau. Krakatau photos. Earth Facts. The most violent volcanic eruption in recorded history took place on the island of Krakatoa on August 27, 1883. At the beginning of that year, Krakatoa seemed an ordinary volcanic island, lying in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra in what was then the Dutch East Indies and is today Indonesia. Measuring 28sq.km (11sq.mi) in area, the island was dominated by a central peak 820m (2,700ft) high.