Tourists to China's southernmost Hainan Province now have the choice to visit the scenic volcano sites with the opening of the country's first volcano-themed national geopark near the provincial capital on Saturday.

Hainan, the second largest island in China is known for its finest beaches and ample sunshine and is dubbed as "Oriental Hawaii". It is also home to nearly every variety of volcanoes in the world.

The volcano-themed park, approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources, boasts the sites of more than 40 volcanoes and 30 volcanic caves, said Hu Jiuchang, director of the Volcano Monitoring and Research Center under the Hainan Bureau of Earthquake Science.

Vegetation, soil, lava, mineral water and hot spring are the five treasures in the volcanic area. The rich collection of rare tropic plants also distinguishes this area from other geoparks in the country, Hu said.

The park is located to the south of Leiqiong Rift Valley south of the Qiongzhou Strait, which sees the mainland in the north. The nearest volcano is 15 km away from the downtown area of the provincial capital.

Hu said the volcanoes in Hainan are the best preserved volcano heritage in the country. A few of the dormant volcanoes erupted since the Holocene epoch about 10,000 years ago.

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2006)