The UNESCO World Heritage is an agency of the United Nations that names landmarks worldwide on the basis of having cultural, historical, scientific or some other form of significance, and they are legally protected by international treaties.
This July, during the 41st annual World Heritage Committee session in Krakow, Poland, the agency added 21 new sites to the list. Making a whopping 1073 across the globe.
Everything from Stonehenge to the Grand Canyon to the Taj Mahal in India have been deemed so important they must be protected and recognized as such.
So who made the list this year?
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- Caves of the Swabian Jura, Germany Modern humans first arrived in Europe 43,000 years ago during the last ice age, and one of the areas where they took up residence was the Swabian Jura, here in southern Germany
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- The Lake District, England Windermere in the Lake District has also been added to the list after years of campaigners urging UNESCO to do so
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- Aphrodisias, Turkey Named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, these city streets are arranged around several large civic structures, which include temples, a theatre, an agora, and two bath complexes
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- Venetian Works of Defence, Croatia, Italy and Montenegro This property consists of 15 components of defence works in Italy, Croatia and Montenegro, spanning more than 620 miles between the Lombard region of Italy and the eastern Adriatic Coast
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- Kulangsu, China Every year, millions of tourists flock to this small, pedestrian-only island for its unique culture and subtropical scenery
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- A remote island Okinoshima in southwestern Japan, this landmass is deemed so sacred that women are not allowed to set foot on it
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- Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town, Palestine – The area’s old town was constructed from limestone during the Mamluk period between 1250 and 1517
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- Taputapuatea, Polynesia The marae at the archaeological complex of Taputapuatea, which was once the religious centre of Eastern Polynesia
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- Valongo Wharf, Brazil
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- Khomani Cultural Landscape, South Africa The Khomani Cultural Landscape is located at the border with Botswana and Namibia, where the Khomani San people (pictured) have devloped strategies which allow them to adapt to harsh desert conditions
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- Landscapes of Dauria, Mongolia and the Russian Federation
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- Mbanza Kongo, Angola The town of Mbanza Kongo was the political and spiritual capital of the Kingdom of Kongo, one of the largest constituted states in Southern Africa from the 14th to 19th centuries
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- Asmara, Africa The city’s capital city, Asmara, is known for eclectic architecture ranging from art deco cinemas to Futurist buildings
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- The Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk in Cambodia, translates to mean ‘the temple in the richness of the forest’
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- Qinghai Hoh Xil, China Qinghai Hoh Xil is the largest and highest plateau in the world. This extensive area of alpine mountains and steppe systems is situated more than 14,700 feet above sea level, where sub-zero average temperatures prevail all year-round
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- Los Alerces National Park, Patagonia Los Alerces National park in Patagonia, Argentina, has some of the last remaining portions of continuous Patagonian Forest
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- The Tarnowskie Gory mine, Poland
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- The city of Yazd, Iran
