Sam Lord's Castle celebrates the pirate who hung lanterns in palm trees to simulate harbour lights and draw sailors on to treacherous reefs. Once ships were wrecked, he would loot the cargoes
UNESCO's Executive Board included three Latin American parks on the list of World Geoparks, along with five others from other regions of the world, according to a statement released in Paris, France.
The note stresses that the eight new sites are notable examples of the world' s geological diversity.
The Kütralkura World Geopark in Chile, characterized by one of the most active volcanic action in the world, is one of those recognized by UNESCO's Executive Board.
The World Geopark of Imbabura in Ecuador, famous for its numerous lakes and great geological formations, among them the Peguche Waterfalls, received the same category.
The list is also made up of, the Colca Geopark and Andagua Volcanoes, of Peru, with its diverse set of volcanic terrains, lakes and geological faults, as well as pre-Hispanic archaeological remains and churches from the colonial period.
The other five recognized sites are the Jiuhuashan and Yimengshan Geoparks of China, while the Vis Archipelago (Croatia), the Trollfjell (Norway) and the Courel Mountains (Spain) complete the list.
By including this group of places, UNESCO's International Network of World Geoparks now has 147 places in 41 countries.
The communiqué noted that it was decided to extend the area of three geoparks, all in China: the Funiushan, the Sanqingshan and the Taishan.
Sam Lord's Castle celebrates the pirate who hung lanterns in palm trees to simulate harbour lights and draw sailors on to treacherous reefs. Once ships were wrecked, he would loot the cargoes
