Bergstraβe-Odenwald UNESCO Global Geopark (Germany)

The delightful and historic landscape of the Geo-Nature Park covers an area of 3500 km² . The region is characterized by over 500 million years of eventful geological history, a multifaceted natural landscape, a thousand-year-old culture, and last but not least, the traditional hospitality of the people. [ website ]

Yandangshan UNESCO Global Geopark (Wenzhou City, Zhejiang, China)

Yandangshan / Mt. Yandang is a geopark themed on volcanic landscapes. With its sharp ridges, steep peaks, unusual caves, stone doors and waterfalls, the geopark presents unique natural scenery of great scientific and aesthetic value. The distinct volcanic landscapes in this global geopark tell the story of the violent volcanic eruptions in the Jurassic period, about 128 million years ago, and the ecological beauty of rivers and peculiar old mining works provide an opportunity to track the geological history of the mountains, rivers, volcanoes and rocks, along with the cultural history of the farming and mining, as well as the clans and religions of the people that once lived in the area. [ website ]

Itoigawa UNESCO Global Geopark (Japan)

The total area of Itoigawa City is 746.24 km², all of which falls within the Geopark, which is divided into 24 geosites, revealing the unique culture, beautiful natural scenery and different geological heritage of each area. Itoigawa Global Geopark can be divided into the northeastern part and the southwestern part. The rocks in the western part were formed 500 million years ago, while those in the eastern part are only millions to tens of millions of years old. The geological history of these two regions led to the formation of two completely different geological landscapes which form a natural barrier that has affected the distribution of plants and animals, and resulted in cultural differences as well. For example, the two adjacent regions have different dialects and even different New Year foods. [ website ]

English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark (Torbay, UK)

The area was once a significant producer of limestone and marble. The oldest limestone is about 400 million years old, about the same age as the oldest rocks in Hong Kong. Limestone erodes easily to form valleys and caves, which provide a diversified environment for many rare wild animals and plants. Even people once lived here. The diversified contents of English Riviera Global Geopark vividly display the evolution of the earth and the development of human civilization. Also worth noting is the beautiful natural scenery in Riviera, which made it a popular resort area as early as in the Victorian era. [ website ]

Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark (Northern Ireland)

The Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark is one of the first Geoparks to be designated in Europe. The Geopark features various sites which demonstrate the finest karst landscape (limestone landscape) shaped by glacial events with many classic limestone caves; and wider natural heritage of the area, as well as the cultural heritage relating to 7,000-8,000 years of recorded human occupation since the last ice age. [ website ]

Wudalianchi UNESCO Global Geopark (Heihe City, Heilongjiang, China)

Wudalianchi Global Geopark is located in Heilongjiang Province, Northern China. The Geopark is a precious legacy left by the volcanic activities of 12 million-years. There are 14 volcanoes distributed in the area, 2 youngest one erupted about 300 years ago are the latest volcanoes in China. Wudalianchi demonstrates diverse volcanic landforms include tens kilometers of lava flow and globally rare geological heritage such as lava tunnel, volcanic barrier lakes, exhalative cones and dishes. It is therefore being regarded as "Natural Volcano Museum". [ website ]

Lesvos Island UNESCO Global Geopark (Greece)

Lesvos Island UNESCO Global Geopark is set on the island of Lesvos in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It is the third biggest island in Greece, 1,630 square km2 in size. The primitive forest here was buried in tephra after a series of earth-shattering volcanic eruptions 20 million years ago. Over millions of years, geological processes turned the wood into fossils, resulting in the world's second largest petrified forest. Lesvos Global Geopark is a wonderful showcase of both geo-relics and cultural heritage, which reveals evolutionary junctures of human civilisation in culture, art, religion and architecture over several thousand years. [ website ]

Unzen Volcanic Area UNESCO Global Geopark (Japan)

Unzen Volcanic Area UNESCO Global Geopark, in western Japan, covers three regions: Shimabara City, Unzen City and Nagasaki Prefecture. The main highlight of the geopark is active volcanoes. The geopark also has an abundance of diverse volcanic heritages that provide a glimpse of inner earth activity. The Mt. Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall, where visitors can see modern volcanic debris flow preserved intact, is rated one of the most unique museums in Japan. While volcanoes create rich natural resources, they can also cause calamity for mankind. The vibrant development of Unzen Volcanic Area UNESCO Global Geopark is the epitome of the harmonious co-existence of volcanoes and people. [ website ]