The territory of the Costa Quebrada UNESCO Global Geopark is located in northern Cantabria. It covers a total area of 345 km², of which 270 km² correspond to land areas and the remaining 75 km² to the surrounding marine areas, constituting a perfectly defined and homogeneous territorial unit from a geological, geographical, historical, environmental, and landscape perspective.
This area encompasses eight municipalities: Santander, Santa Cruz de Bezana, Piélagos, Miengo, Suances, Santillana del Mar, Polanco, and Camargo. All of them lie within the folded structure of the San Román-Santillana Syncline, which affects Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene materials. This folded structure offers a wide variety of formations that illustrate centuries of geological history.
The eight municipalities that make up the geopark have a combined population of 269,879 (INE, 2024). The easternmost part, including Santander and its metropolitan area, is the most populated, with the population density decreasing towards the west. This makes the geopark a vibrant and populated area.
A Geological Laboratory Open to the Public
This geopark is a true natural laboratory for understanding the geological processes that have shaped our planet over the last 120 million years. The interaction between rock layers and marine action has created a spectacular array of coastal landforms: cliffs, arches, islets, inlets, beaches, tombolos, dunes, and estuaries. These outcrops reveal fossils of ancient tropical reefs, prehistoric beaches, and petrified ecosystems, witnesses to events such as continental collisions, climate change, and biological extinctions.
The stretch between San Juan de la Canal and the Miengo Marsh is included in the Global Geosites catalog as one of the most important geological sites in the world, under the name “Liencres Dunes and Costa Quebrada Coastline.”
An Accessible and Interconnected Territory
Thanks to its accessibility and diverse landscapes, the Costa Quebrada Geopark offers numerous opportunities for education, sustainable tourism, and scientific outreach. Coastal and inland trails allow visitors to closely observe geological processes, living ecosystems, and a cultural heritage that invites reflection on the relationship between humankind and nature.
Furthermore, this geopark is a unique space for understanding geological hazards, the effects of global change, and how society can learn to be more resilient.
A Legacy of Cultural and Natural Heritage
The Costa Quebrada Geopark stands out not only for its geology but also for its rich history. This territory was home to diverse human species during the Paleolithic era, leaving an extraordinary legacy in the form of rock art and prehistoric tools, including the famous Magdalenian paintings and engravings.
Without a doubt, Costa Quebrada is a territory rich in cultural and natural heritage. Proof of this lies in the three World Heritage sites located within the Costa Quebrada Geopark:
The Northern Way of St. James
Included on the World Heritage List on July 8, 2015, the Northern Peninsular Routes of St. James, as an extension of the French Way, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1993.
The Cave of Altamira
The Cave of Altamira was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 at the request of the Government of Spain.
Adding to its significance is the fact that Altamira was the first site where Paleolithic cave art was identified, thanks to its discoverer, Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola.
In 2008, the inscription was expanded to include seventeen more caves, collectively known as “The Cave of Altamira and the Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain.” Among these is El Pendo Cave, another cave located within the Costa Quebrada Geopark.
Furthermore, the Geopark boasts an extensive list of Cultural Heritage Sites and various areas with environmental protection designations, such as the Liencres Dunes Natural Park, Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAs), Areas of Special Natural Interest (ANEIs), and wetlands of international importance like the San Martín de la Arena Estuary. However, they are all listed below:
SAC ES1300017 Rogería Cave
SAC ES1300004 Liencres Dunes and Pas Estuary
LEC 251300005 El Puntal Dunes and Miera Estuary
SAC ES1300010 Pas River
SPA ES000049 Marine Area of the Portío Islets, Isla Conejera, and Isla de Mouro
ES130002 Liencres Dunes and Costa Quebrada Natural Park
Natural areas of special interest:
Pozo Tremeo
El Pendo-Peñajorao
A Natural Mosaic of Ecosystems and Biodiversity
The Costa Quebrada Geopark is a mosaic of natural environments that include marshes, beaches, dunes, cliffs, riverbanks, and coastal holm oak forests. These ecosystems harbor a rich and diverse biodiversity, forming an essential ecological corridor with ecologically important species of flora and fauna.
Inland, limestone outcrops protect the last remaining coastal holm oak forests, relics from periods with different climatic conditions. Furthermore, the planting of pine trees in the Liencres dune system has created a unique forest, while hay meadows, dry stone walls, and hedgerows reflect the region’s traditional agricultural and livestock practices.
Education and Communication from a Scientific Perspective
One of the pillars of the Costa Quebrada Geopark is to base education and communication on a scientific perspective, on solid foundations and not on beliefs. The great challenge in the age of information, immediacy and social networks is to educate through solid and scientific foundations.
