Changshan Geopark in Zhejiang province and Mt Siguniang Geopark in Sichuan province have been officially designated as UNESCO World Geoparks on Wednesday, raising the country's total number of global geoparks to 51.

The designation was passed during the 224th session of the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris, China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration noted in a media release on Wednesday.

Located in Changshan county, the Changshan Geopark covers about 1,043 square kilometers. Showcasing more than 1 billion years of geological history, the park preserves a continuous stratigraphic record from the Neoproterozoic to the Cenozoic, making it one of eastern Asia's most complete geological sequences, according to the administration.

Mt Siguniang Geopark is located in Xiaojin county. It covers an area of 2,764 square kilometers. Situated on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it records the geological evolution of the region from the ancient Tethys Ocean to the uplift of the eastern margin of the plateau.

The geopark is home to more than 2,000 species of higher plants, as well as over 300 species of vertebrates, such as giant pandas and snow leopards.