Volcanoes are primarily distributed along the boundaries of tectonic plates where the Earth's crust is moving and interacting. These locations include:

• Convergent plate boundaries (subduction zones) where one plate slides beneath another, causing magma to rise and form volcanoes. The Pacific Ring of Fire is a major example.
• Divergent plate boundaries where plates move apart, allowing magma to rise, such as mid-ocean ridges.
• Hotspots, which are areas of intense mantle heat creating volcanoes away from plate boundaries, such as the Hawaiian Islands.

Most volcanoes form linear or arcuate belts around the edges of continents, island chains, or underwater mountain ranges. They are concentrated in narrow bands along tectonic plate edges rather than being randomly distributed across the globe. Some continents like Australia have very few active volcanoes because they are located away from active plate boundaries. In summary, the global distribution of volcanoes closely follows tectonic plate boundaries, including the Pacific Ring of Fire, mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, rift valleys, and volcanic hotspots.