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Ciudad Encantada facts for kids

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Ciudad Encantada
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
09042009 164759 CEC 0091 - WLE Spain 2015.jpg
Rock wall in Ciudad Encantada
Ciudad Encantada is located in Spain
Ciudad Encantada
Ciudad Encantada
Location in Spain
Location Cuenca, Spain
Area 250 acres (100 ha)
Established 1929
Ciudad E 1
A cool mushroom-shaped rock in Ciudad Encantada.

The Ciudad Encantada (which means "Enchanted City" in English) is a super cool place with amazing rock formations near the city of Cuenca in Spain. Imagine a city made of giant, strangely shaped rocks! These unique shapes were created over millions of years by natural forces like weather and water from the nearby Júcar River. It's like nature's own sculpture park! This special area was officially named a Natural Site of National Interest on June 11, 1929.

How These Amazing Rocks Were Made

The awesome rock formations you see at Ciudad Encantada are called karst formations. They are made from types of rock called limestone and dolomite. These rocks were formed about 90 million years ago, during a time called the Cretaceous period.

Over millions of years, rain fell on the original flat limestone area. The rainwater slowly wore away the softer limestone. But it left behind the stronger dolomite rock. Since the dolomite wasn't spread out evenly in the original rock, the result was these incredibly unique and uneven shapes that make up the Ciudad Encantada. It's like nature carved them out!

Cool Rock Shapes You'll See

Many of the rock formations at Ciudad Encantada look like different things. People have given them fun names, like:

  • Mushroom rocks Seta (which means 'Mushroom')
  • Puente ('Bridge')
  • Cara ('Face')
  • Convento ('Convent')
  • El mar de piedra (The stone sea)
  • Teatro ('Theatre')
  • Hipopótamos ('Hippopotami')
  • Amantes ('Lovers')
  • La foca (The seal)
  • La tortuga (The turtle)
  • Los osos (The bears)

Ciudad Encantada in Movies

Because of its unique and dramatic look, Ciudad Encantada has been used as a filming location for several movies! Maybe you've seen some of these:

  • The Pride and the Passion, made in 1957
  • The Colossus of Rhodes, made in 1962
  • The Mercenary, made in 1968
  • Johnny Hamlet, made in 1968
  • The Valley of Gwangi, made in 1969
  • Conan the Barbarian, made in 1982
  • The World is not enough, made in 1999

More Awesome Pictures

  • Rock walls in Ciudad Encantada

    Rock walls

  • Ciudad Encantada cara de hombre

    Man's face

  • 09042009 160012 CEC 0024 - WLE Spain 2015

    Another mushroom rock

  • Ciudad E 8

    The stone sea

  • Ciudad encantada 4

    Battle of the crocodile and the elephant

  • Ciudad encantada 5

    The mushrooms

  • Anales de la Sociedad Española de Historia Natural (1875) (17979785569)

    A drawing of Ciudad Encantada from around 1875

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ciudad Encantada para niños

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