Brazil: Caçapava Geopark
Caçapava Geopark
Caçapava UNESCO Global Geopark in Brazil.
For the Guarani, an indigenous people in Brazil, this geopark is “the place where the jungle ends”, located in Rio Grande do Sul State in southernmost Brazil. Its geological heritage, which consists of mining sulfide metals and marble, has been vital for the region’s economic development. Besides its geodiversity, the geopark is home to endangered cacti, bromeliads, endemic flowers, and bee species.
Brazil: Quarta Colônia Geopark
© Quarta Colônia Geopark
Quarta Colônia UNESCO Global Geopark, Brazil.
This geopark is located in the south of Brazil between the Pampa and Atlantic Forest biomes. Its name is a reference to the period when Italians colonised the central part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. There are colonial villas, traces of indigenous and settlements of the quilombolas (formerly enslaved people of African descent). The geopark is also rich in fossils of animal and plant life, dating back 230 million years.
Greece: Lavreotiki Geopark
© Lavreotiki Geopark
Lavreotiki UNESCO Global Geopark, Greece.
Famous for the abundance and variety of its mineralogical specimens, many of which were first discovered in the area, this geopark is known around the world for the silver that is extracted from mixed sulfide deposits. The region has been inhabited since antiquity due to its underground geological wealth and is currently home to over 25,000 inhabitants. Lavreotiki also houses the Byzantine Holy Monastery of St Paul the Apostle.
Indonesia: Ijen Geopark
This gem is located in the Banyuwangi and Bondowoso Regencies in East Java Province.Its location between the strait and the sea has made it a crossroads for human migration and commerce. Ijen is one of the most active volcanoes in the Ijen caldera system. Thanks to a rare phenomenon, high concentrations of sulfur rise from the active crater before igniting as they encounter theoxygen-rich atmosphere; as the gas burns, it forms an electric blue flamewhich is unique, and only visible at night.
Indonesia: Maros Pangkep Geopark
Maros Pangkep Geopark
This geopark is located along the southern arm of the island of Sulawesi in the Maros and Pangkep Regencies. The local population is primarily composed of the indigenous peoples ofBugisandMakassarese. This archipelago lies in the Coral Triangle and serves as a centre for the conservation of coral reef ecosystems. The area is more than 100 million years old.
Indonesia: Merangin Jambi Geopark
© Merangin Jambi Geopark/Ilham Darman
Merangin Jambi UNESCO Global Geopark, Indonesia.
This geopark is home to the unique fossils of “Jambi flora”, which are the only exposed fossilized plants of their kind in the world today. These are located in the central part of Sumatra Island in Indonesia. The name ‘Jambi flora’ refers to fossilized plants found as part of a rock formation dating from the Early Permian era (296 million years old). The fossils include mosses, primitive conifers and seed ferns, which reproduce via seed dispersal instead of through spores.
Indonesia: Raja Ampat Geopark
© BKKPN Kupang
Raja Ampat UNESCO Global Geopark, Indonesia.
This geopark’s territory includes four main islands and is special for having the oldest exposed rock in the country, which is almost one-tenth as old as Earth itself. Scuba-divers flock to the area, drawn by the beauty of the underwater caves and the extraordinary marine mega-biodiversity. Here, they can observe rock art produced by prehistoric humans who lived in the area several thousand years ago.
Iran: Aras Geopark
© Aras Geopark/Boyuk Raei
Aras UNESCO Global Geopark, Iran.
TheAras River marks the northern limit of this geoparklocated in northwestern Iran at the southern end of the Lesser Caucasus Mountain range. This mountain range acts as a natural barrier. It has created a range of climates, as well as rich geodiversity and biodiversity; it also links different cultures on the northern and southern sides of the mountain chain.
Iran: Tabas Geopark
© Tabas UNESCO Global Geopark
Tabas UNESCO Global Geopark, Iran.
Many thinkers have referred to the 22,771 km2of desert in northwest South Khorasan Province where this geopark is located as “the geological paradise of Iran”. This is because one can follow the evolution of the planet from the earliest part of the Earth’s history 4.6 billion years ago (the Precambrian) to the Early Cretaceous about145 million years agowithout the slightest interruption. The geopark is home to the Naybandan Wildlife Refuge, the largest in Iran,which covers an area of 1.5 million hectares and is the most important habitat of the Asian cheetah.
Japan: Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark
© Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark Promotion Council
Watagataki waterfall in the Tedori Gorge, Japan.
Located in central Japan, where it follows the Tedori River from Mount Hakusan down to the sea, the Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark records approximately 300 million years of history. It contains rocks that were formed by the collision of continents. It also has strata containing fossils of dinosaurs which accumulated in rivers and lakes on land at a time when Japan was attached to the Eurasian continent.
Malaysia: Kinabalu Geopark
Mount Kinabalu dominates this geopark in the State of Sabah at the northern end of the island of Borneo. The highest mountain lying between the Himalayas and New Guinea, Mount Kinabalu has been attracting explorers for over a century. Covering an area of 4,750 km2, the geopark is home to many endemic plants and animals, including 90 orchid species that exist only on Mount Kinabalu, and the crimson-headed partridge bird not found anywhere else on Earth.
New Zealand: Waitaki Whitestone Geopark
New Zealand’s firstUNESCOGlobal Geoparklies on the east coast of the South Island. The landscapes, rivers and tides of this geopark have enormous cultural significance for the local indigenous people, the Ngāi Tahu whānui. The geopark offers exceptional insights into the history of the Earth’s eighth continent, Zealandia, or Te Riu-a-Māui in Maori. The geopark provides evidence of the formation of Zealandia, which broke away from the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana around 80 million years ago.
Norway: Sunnhordland Geopark
The landscapes in this geopark range from glacier-covered alpine mountains to archipelagos with thousands of islands situated on the strand-flat along the coast. The geological landscape displays textbook examples of glacial erosion that occurred during 40 ice ages. The Hardangerfjord Fault separates a billion years of geological evolution.
Philippines: Bohol Island Geopark
The Philippines’ firstUNESCOGlobal Geopark, Bohol Island, sits in the Visayas island group. The island’s geological identity has been pieced together over 150 million years, as periods of tectonic turbulence have raised the island from the ocean depths. The geopark abounds in karstic geosites such as caves, sinkholes and cone karst, including the famous cone-shaped Chocolate Hills in the centre of the geopark.
Republic of Korea: Jeonbuk West Coast Geopark
This geopark tells 2.5 billion years of well-exposed geological history in the western part of the country. The vast tidal flats dotted with volcanoes and islands allow us to travel through time to piece together elements of the Earth’s history. Jeonbuk West CoastUNESCOGlobal Geopark has already been recognized byUNESCOas a natural and cultural World Heritage property and as a biosphere reserve.
Spain: Cabo OrtegalGeopark
© César Galdo Paz
Cabo Ortegal, Spain.
Take a journey into the interior of our planet by discovering rocks that emerged from the depths of the Earth almost 400 million years ago in what is now Cabo OrtegalUNESCOGlobal Geopark. This geopark provides someof the most complete evidence in Europe of the collision that caused Pangea, a process known as the Variscan Orogeny. Most of the rocks in this geopark were brought to the surface by the collision of two continents, Laurussia and Gondwana, which would eventually join the supercontinent Pangaea about 350 million years ago.
Thailand: KhoratGeopark
© Khorat Geopark
Khorat UNESCO Global Geopark, Thailand.
This geopark is mostly located in the LamTakhong river basin on the southwestern margin of the Khorat Plateau in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in northeast Thailand. The unique geological feature of the region is the diversity and abundance of fossils ranging in age from 16 million to 10,000 years. A large range of dinosaurs and other animal fossilslike ancient elephants have been found in Mueang District.
United Kingdom: Mourne Gullion, Strangford
© Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark
Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland..
This geopark tells the tale of how two oceans evolved over 400 million years of geological history. It charts the closure of the Iapetus Ocean and the birth of the North Atlantic Ocean, which generated large amounts of molten rock (or magma) both within the Earth’s crust and on the surface. The geopark is located in the southeast of Northern Ireland, adjacent to the border with the Republic of Ireland.
FAQs
UNESCO names 18 new Global Geoparks? ›
UNESCO Global Geopark – India's Case
India is one of those countries which do not have a single geopark registered and acknowledged under UNESCO Global Geopark list.
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UNESCO Global Geopark – India's Case
India is one of those countries which do not have a single geopark registered and acknowledged under UNESCO Global Geopark list.
Kula-Salihli UNESCO Global Geopark (Turkey)
The Geopark features a large lava plateau, lava caves and basalt columns together with the range of morphological features associated with the formation of a graben, such as faults, fan deposits, earthquake related features, etc.
A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences.
How many Unesco World Heritage sights are there? ›As of January 2023, there are a total of 1,157 World Heritage Sites located across 167 countries, of which 900 are cultural, 218 are natural and 39 are mixed properties.
Has anyone been to all Unesco sites? ›With more than 1,000 UNESCO World Heritage Sites out there waiting to be explored, most travelers can claim to having seen at least a couple of them, whether it's the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Venice, Italy, or the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Few have seen as many as Gary Arndt.
Which UNESCO Global geopark has been 470 million years in the making? ›About Fforest Fawr UNESCO Global Geopark
A cracked and crumpled layer-cake of rocks 470 million years in the making, the Geopark is a spectacular landscape carved by ice and shaped by man with many stories to tell.
UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development.
What are the Unesco Geoparks in the US? ›World Heritage sites
Mammoth Cave National Park (United States) Everglades National Park (United States) Grand Canyon National Park (United States) Yellowstone National Park (United States)
What is the motto of geopark? ›
The motto of UNESCO Global Geoparks is “Celebrating Earth Heritage, Sustaining Local Communities”.
What is an example of geopark? ›| Austria* | Ore of the Alps UGGp Styrian Eisenwurzen UGGp Karawanken / Karavanke UGGp* (Austria and Slovenia) |
|---|---|
| Cyprus | Troodos UGGp |
| Czechia | Bohemian Paradise UGGp |
| Denmark | Odsherred UGGp Vestjylland UGGp |
| Ecuador | Imbabura UGGp |
The vast natural forest of Yellowstone National Park covers nearly 9,000 km2 ; 96% of the park lies in Wyoming, 3% in Montana and 1% in Idaho. Yellowstone contains half of all the world's known geothermal features, with more than 10,000 examples.
Which Indian cities has got Unesco World Heritage Site tag? ›- Agra Fort (1983)
- Ajanta Caves (1983)
- Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar (2016)
- Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989)
- Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004)
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004)
| State | Name of the site | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan | Stromatolite Fossil Park, Jharmarkotra Rock Phosphate deposit | Udaipur Dist. |
| Gossan in Rajpura-Dariba Mineralised belt | Udaipur Dist. | |
| Stromatolite Park | near Bhojunda, Chittaurgarh Dist. | |
| Akal Fossil Wood Park, | Jaisalmer Dist |
The World Heritage Convention, the most widely accepted international conservation treaty in human history, is the American national park idea being carried out worldwide. Currently there are 24 World Heritage Sites within the United States.
Is the US part of the UNESCO? ›The United States is a founding member of UNESCO and Americans were an important part of UNESCO's creation.
What are the 7 heritage of the world? ›The Seven Wonders of the World are the Taj Mahal, the Colosseum, the Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, Petra, and the Great Wall of China.
Why is US not part of UNESCO? ›The United States joined UNESCO at its founding but later withdrew in 1984 because of a growing disparity between U.S. foreign policy and UNESCO goals. After an almost twenty-year absence from the organization, the United States rejoined the organization in October 2003.
Which country is not in UNESCO? ›Three UNESCO member states are not UN member states: Cook Islands, Niue, and Palestine (Palestine is a non-member observer State of the United Nations General Assembly since 29 November 2012), while three UN member states (Israel, Liechtenstein, United States) are not UNESCO members.
Which country has most Unesco sites? ›
Italy tops the list with the most number of UNESCO WORLD Heritage Sites in the world.
Where is the only Unesco World Heritage Site in the United States? ›| Site | Location (state) | Year listed |
|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone National Park | Wyoming, Montana, Idaho | 1978 |
| Kluane / Wrangell–St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek* | Alaska | 1979 |
| Grand Canyon National Park | Arizona | 1979 |
| Everglades National Park | Florida | 1979 |
This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world by year of inscription, selected during the annual sessions of the World Heritage Committee. The first World Heritage Site in the list is the Galápagos Islands.
How many Unesco declared World Heritage cities can you find in Andalucía? ›Andalucia has seven World Heritage sites inscribed on the list - five cultural, one natural, and one both cultural and natural. Most of the cultural sites are located in cities or towns: the three great Muslim centres of power, Granada, Seville and Cordoba; and Ubeda and Baeza.
Which continent has the highest number of World Heritage Site? ›Overall, Europe is home to 503 world heritage sites of either cultural, natural or mixed importance.
Why is the English Riviera a global geopark? ›The English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark
The whole of Torbay has been designated a Geopark in 2007 by UNESCO because of our unique and often spectacular geology and natural environment.
Olympic contains a great wealth of geological formations, and its highly varied rainfall has produced a wide range of complex life zones. This World Heritage Site is isolated from other mountain ranges and surrounded by the waters of the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound.
Why is Ngorongoro a geopark? ›It is the only protected area in Sub-Saharan Africa with internationally significant geological features, and which opens its doors to tourism, conservation, education, and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences.
Which among the following is a national park and also a Unesco World Heritage Site located in the state of Rajasthan? ›Keoladeo National Park, located in the State of Rajasthan, is an important wintering ground of Palaearctic migratory waterfowl and is renowned for its large congregation of non-migratory resident breeding birds.
How many of Geoparks are there? ›At present, there are 177 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 46 countries. A full list is available with more details on each geopark.
How many Unesco World Heritage Sites are in Central America? ›
Central America has 18 sites declared by UNESCO as a “World Heritage Site“, ranging from archaeological sites of ancient pre-Columbian cultures, natural areas, and colonial cities to Caribbean fortifications.
What California National Park is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? ›Yosemite National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Who is the CEO of geopark? ›On March 8, 2022 our Board of Directors appointed Andrés as Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective July 1, 2022, by virtue of his wide experience in business management and finance, together with his character, vision, knowledge of the Company and his proven ability to lead successful teams.
Who designates global geoparks? ›Creation of the global network
Since 2015, its members are officially designated as UNESCO Global Geoparks. The first batch of members to the GGN were announced during the first International Conference on Geoparks in 2004.
Protection and management
A UNESCO Global Geopark is not a legislative designation, although the key geological sites within the geopark may be protected as designated sites. It provides international recognition for these sites, and its management group actively engages with the local communities.
Kula-Salihli UNESCO Global Geopark (Turkey)
The Geopark features a large lava plateau, lava caves and basalt columns together with the range of morphological features associated with the formation of a graben, such as faults, fan deposits, earthquake related features, etc.
CRITERIA FOR UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARKS
A UNESCO Global Geopark must have a clearly defined border, be of adequate size to fulfil its functions and contain geological heritage of international significance as independently verified by scientific professionals.
You can reach there via MTR Diamond Hill Station. Once the travelers reach the MTR Diamond Hill Station, Exit C2, and board the bus 92 to Sai Kung Bus Terminus, and then walk towards the centre.
Which continent has the most Unesco World Heritage sites? ›UNESCO World Heritage
Overall, Europe is home to 503 world heritage sites of either cultural, natural or mixed importance.
You can reach there via MTR Diamond Hill Station. Once the travelers reach the MTR Diamond Hill Station, Exit C2, and board the bus 92 to Sai Kung Bus Terminus, and then walk towards the centre.
Which park was also one of the world's first Unesco World Heritage sites? ›
This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world by year of inscription, selected during the annual sessions of the World Heritage Committee. The first World Heritage Site in the list is the Galápagos Islands.
Are there any Unesco sites in USA? ›The World Heritage Convention, the most widely accepted international conservation treaty in human history, is the American national park idea being carried out worldwide. Currently there are 24 World Heritage Sites within the United States.
Which 2 countries have the largest number of World Heritage sites? ›Italy and China take the crown as the countries with the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. As the birthplace of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, Italy has an abundance of culture: 53 of its 58 sites are cultural and 5 are natural.
Which state has the most World Heritage sites? ›Currently, Maharashtra has total five Unesco World Heritage Sites and this number is highest among all states and UTs in India. The sites include Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Elephanta Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco buildings of South Mumbai.
What city has the most Unesco World Heritage sites? ›That's when you finally tell them that Cordoba, Spain, contains the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world for any city. It's not easy to obtain recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What is the only trail to follow Unesco World Heritage sites? ›The park that contains a complex of chapels called the Sacri Monti is not only a beautiful walk, it's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The trail up the "sacred mountain" departs from Orta San Giulio, and ascends through the woods above Lake Orta.
How long does it take to become a Unesco World Heritage Site? ›Because of U.S. and international (UNESCO) requirements, the process for site inscription, from selection of the site to being inscribed on the World Heritage List, is several years at a minimum. It generally takes 1-3 years to draft a nomination.