Lands of Knights Global Geopark

Located in the Trás-os-Montes region in northern Portugal, the Terras de Cavaleiros Global Geopark covers an area of 700 km2. It includes geosites that document an important stage of the history of planet Earth, including a sequence of rocks from an old continent dating back more than 500 million years that overlapped rocks of oceanic crust. Furthermore sediments are found there that prove the existence of an ancient fluvial network that once drained into the interior of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as active faults, such as the Vilariça fault which crosses the whole territory of the Geopark. The cultural highlight of the area is the Careto religious ritual during the carnival feast, whichdates back to prehistoric times, and is characterised by diabolic and mysterious figures.