Korea: Jeonbuk West Coast UNESCO Global Geopark

The Jeonbuk West Coast UNESCO Global Geopark tells 2.5 billion years of well-exposed geological history in the western part of the country.

Jeonbuk West Coast UNESCO Global Geopark has already been recognized by UNESCO as a natural and cultural World Heritage property (Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites) and as a biosphere reserve (Gochang Biosphere Reserve). It has also been designated a Ramsar site for its exceptional wetlands (Gochang and Buan Tidal Flats).

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China: Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark

Situated in close proximity to Hong Kong’s world-famous financial and business centre, which is also a food and shopping paradise, Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark of China is lauded as a unique “Geopark in the City”, with the city centre a mere one-hour bus or car ride away.

Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark’s major geoattractions include well-outcropped acidic volcanic hexagonal rock columns, of which the average diameter is 1.2 metres and which are distributed over a land-and-sea area of 100 square kilometres. The Geopark also has comprehensive sedimentary rock formations formed from the Devonian to the Paleogene (about 400 to 55 million years ago). It is integrated with diverse ecological resources such as mangroves, fung shui woods and coral communities and well-preserved Hakka walled-villages, fishing villages and historical relics such as temples that reveal the rich cultural heritage of the area, all combining to form the unique natural landscape of Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark.

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China: Zhangye UNESCO Global Geopark

Zhangye Geopark is adjacent to the Alxa block to the north and to the south to the Middle Qilian block, belonging to the transitional zone of the Qilian Caledonian fold belt and the Alxa block. The unique geographical location and complex geological process have created rich and typical geoheritage in the Geopark, making Zhangye Geopark a collection of Nine-Spring ophiolite suite, Colorful hills, typical Danxia landforms in arid areas, middle and small structures, water erosion geomorphology etc. Among the geoheritage, the Nine-Springs ophiolite suite has always been a hot spot for Chinese and foreign geologists to investigate and study. It is the Early Paleozoic collision zone between North China plate and the Qaidam plate. Because the ophiolite suite is of international geological significance, it became one of the field trip of the 30th International Geological Conference in 1996 and an important station of the "Australian-China Tectonics and Earth Resources Joint Center" field investigation route in 2018. Zhangye Colorful hills are characterized by monocline and monocline peaks due to tectonic movements, which are full of rhythm and layering and are of international geological significance. Binggou Danxia has developed windows-lattice and palace-style Danxia landforms in the arid area of northern China, often developing mud-emulsion, laminated and other micro-landforms. Heihe River is the second largest inland river in the northwest of China. The upper and middle reaches have formed the geological landscape such as the Heihe gorge with the decline of topography and the strong erosion of the river, which is the natural classroom of geoscience research and has the value of science popularization and education.

Description by UNESCO licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0.

Germany: Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve

Located in the southernmost part of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, the Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve is known for its great diversity. From elevations ranging from 328 m to 872 m above the sea level, and very dense forests intertwined with open areas, the Biosphere Reserve for over 110 years housed a military facility and is known for its fruit-tree meadows, as well as the Alb Escarpment with its valleys and creeks.

It is nestled in one of Germany’s most prosperous and industrial regions, so the Biosphere Reserve is part of a statewide sustainable development strategy that includes promoting ecotourism, sustainable agriculture and forestry projects, among others.

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France: Haute-Provence UNESCO Global Geopark

Located in south-eastern France, between the Alps and Provence, the Haute-Provence UNESCO Global Geopark is the largest geological open-air museum in France. The reserve includes 18 geological sites more than 300 million years old, which contain numerous fossil-rich materials and fascinating rock formations. More than 1,550 ammonites are preserved on a 350,000 square metre limestone wall. Fossilized footprints of birds can be found, as well as fossilized plants. The Verdon river gorge offers the opportunity to discover the beautiful landscape of Haute- Provence. It is the most spectacular of the French canyons, 21 km long with 700-metre-high cliffs. The geological reserve is open to students who can discover and learn about geological heritage, as well as the necessity and the meaning of protecting it.

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Gorges du Verdon

Ireland: Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark

Located on the west coast of Ireland, the Burren & Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark has an area of 530 km2, it is bounded by Atlantic coastal cliffs (10-200 m high) to the west, the Gort lowlands to the East and by low hilly terrain to the south. Much of the land is at an elevation of 100 m-200 m above sea-level; the highest point is Slieve Elva at 344 m. The area of limestone which comprises most of the UNESCO Global Geopark has few rivers and only one (Caher River) which flows its entire length over ground.

Description by UNESCO licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0.

China: Dunhuang UNESCO Global Geopark

Located in the Anxi-Dunhuang Graben Basin, east of the Tarim plate, Dunhuang UNESCO Global Geopark is rich in geoheritage of great scientific value, as well as significant value in geo-education and geotourism. The most representative geoheritage is the Yardang-Desert-Gobi landforms, which constitute typical landforms in the extremely arid region of China and the Mogao Grottoes, a World Heritage Site, which were excavated in the Quaternary strata and perfectly embody the combination of geoheritage and culture. Among them, the Yardang landform is globally rare for its dense distribution, graceful shapes, large quantities and obvious changes in trend and complicated formation, which makes it important in studying formation and regional environmental evolution.

Description by UNESCO licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0.

Portugal: Açores Unesco Global Geopark

The Açores UNESCO Global Geopark is located in the North Atlantic Ocean between the European and American continents at a distance of 1,815 km from the Portugal mainland. The Global Geopark area is 12,884 km2, including the 2,324 km2 of the 9 islands territory and 10,560 km2 with 4 marine geosites of international to national relevance. The archipelago is a Portuguese autonomous region composed of nine islands, which are dispersed along a 600 km length narrow band with a WNW-ESE trend.

Description by UNESCO licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0.

FInland: Saimaa UNESCO Global Geopark

Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland and the 4th largest in Europe. Saimaa Geopark tells the geological story of Saimaa: an expansive lake area with fragmented and ancient bedrock reshaped during the ice age. Uneven uplift and tilting has shaped its shoreline, outlet channels and directions of water flow. Over the many phases of its history, the Saimaa area has developed a particular natu-ral environment, on which humans have also left a cultural-historically valuable mark over the millennia.

Description by UNESCO licensed under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0.