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World Heritage List is an international registry of sites that have great natural or cultural value. Some sites are listed as part of the World Heritage because of their spectacular or unusual scenery and wildlife. Others are included because of their importance as part of humanity's cultural heritage. Some areas possess both natural and cultural importance.
The World Heritage List was established at a General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1972. The convention was ratified (adopted) in 1976 at an assembly of UNESCO states in Nairobi, Kenya.
The aim of the convention is to protect, conserve, and transmit the cultural and natural heritage to future generations. The list includes monuments, groups of buildings, and cultural and natural sites. Sites are included if they are judged to have outstanding universal value from a historic, artistic, or scientific viewpoint.
Places that are included on the World Heritage List range from natural sites, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, to buildings or even entire cities, such as the city of Bath in the United Kingdom. The list covers almost every area in the world. The committee requires governments to preserve and protect World Heritage sites.
Many of the listed places in Europe are prehistoric or ancient sites. They include the Altamira Caves in Spain, the Acropolis in Greece, Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, and the Thracian tomb of Kazanluk in Bulgaria. Many groups of buildings are also included, such as the historic centers of Florence in Italy and Krakow in Poland. Individual buildings on the list include Chartres Cathedral in France and Aachen Cathedral in Germany.
The main World Heritage sites in North and South America are large areas of national parkland. Among these are the Iguazu National Park in Argentina and Iguacu National Park in Brazil, which together protect the magnificent Iguacu Falls, and the Canadian Rocky Mountains Parks. Also included are several important Native American sites, such as the Mayan city of Copan in Honduras and the city of Chichen Itza in Mexico.
In Africa, a number of national parks are on the list. They include the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, the Virunga National Park in Congo (Kinshasa), and the Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Among the notable African buildings on the list are the Great Zimbabwe National Monument, and the Royal Palaces of Abomey, in Benin.
Most of the Asian properties on the World Heritage List are in India or China. Sites in India include the Taj Mahal, the caves at Ajanta and Ellora, the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, and the monuments at Khajuraho. The most important sites in China are the Great Wall, the Imperial Palace, and the Peking fossils site at Zhoukoudian. Among other Asian properties are the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal and the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro (also spelled Moenjodaro) in Pakistan.
Listed areas in Australia and New Zealand include the Willandra Lakes Region, the Tasmanian Wilderness, and the Wet Tropics of Queensland, in Australia, and the Te Wahipounamu, which includes Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, in New Zealand.
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