China home to 47 UNESCO Global Geoparks
A child poses for photos at the Tianchi lake on the Changbaishan Mountain in northeast China's Jilin Province on Aug. 17, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]
With six Chinese geoparks newly designated as Global Geoparks by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Wednesday, China is now home to 47 Global Geoparks.
Among the newly designated sites, the Mount Changbaishan Geopark in northeast China's Jilin Province covers an area of over 2,700 square kilometers. It hosts dramatic landforms and diverse rock types that document significant multiphase volcanic eruptions. In 2023 alone, the Mount Changbaishan scenic area received some 2.75 million tourists, a record high, according to local authorities.
The five other Chinese geoparks newly added this time are Enshi Grand Canyon-Tenglongdong Cave Geopark in Hubei Province, Linxia Geopark in Gansu Province, Longyan Geopark in Fujian Province, Wugongshan Geopark in Jiangxi Province and Xingyi Geopark in Guizhou Province.
The designation of UNESCO Global Geopark was first established in 2015 to recognize geological heritages of international importance. Currently, the UNESCO Global Geoparks network boasts 213 geoparks in 48 countries.