java.lang.StackOverflowError due to recursion

Question

My problem is that I usually get a java.lang.StackOverflowError when I use recursion. My question is - why does recursion cause stackoverflow so much more than loops do, and

Answer 1

Each recursive call uses some space on the stack (to house anything specific to that one call, such as arguments, local variables, etc.). Thus, if you make too many recursive calls (either by not correctly providing a base case or just by trying to do too many recursive calls), then there is not enough room to provide space for it all, and you end up with a StackOverflow.

The reason why loops do not have this problem is that each iteration of a loop does not use its own unique space (i.e. if I loop n times, I don't need extra space to do the n+1st loop).