What are some World Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO?
Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003, the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka is the place where the earliest traces of human life on the Indian subcontinent was discovered. They’re located at the foothills of the Vindhya Mountains in the Deccan Plateau and are an archaeological site for the Mesolithic period (more than 100,000 years ago) and ...
What does it mean to be an UNESCO World Heritage Site?
A World Heritage site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties.
Which countries have the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
- An announcement of new sites by the UNESCO committee has shown that Italy now has 58 World Heritage locations.
- This places it ahead of China, which currently has 56 World Heritage sites.
- Any new property on this list is a great way to boost tourism in a country.
What does UNESCO's World Heritage List mean, anyway?
To be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list means a general increase in awareness for the listed site and a resulting increase in related tourism. Local government and other bodies will likely provide greater protection for the site and a country may also receive 'financial assistance and expert advise' from the World Heritage Committee.
The Origin of UNESCO's Protection and Designation of Sites
It may come as a surprise but one of the major catalysts that gave rise to UNESCO was when Egypt decided in 1954 to build the new Aswan High Dam. This would have flooded and destroyed the iconic Abu Simbel rock-cut temples in Egypt that are a vital part of any tour of Egypt today.
UNESCO and World Heritage Sites
What is a world heritage site? A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area that has been given legal protection by an international that's administered by UNESCO. They say that:
UNESCO Sites By the Numbers
There are now UNESCO sites in 167 different countries - Italy is the country with the most sites on their list.
What is the mission of UNESCO?
UNESCO's World Heritage mission is to. Encourage countries to sign the World Heritage Convention and to ensure the protection of their natural and cultural heritage; Encourage States Parties to the Convention to nominate sites within their national territory for inclusion on the World Heritage List; Encourage States Parties to establish management ...
What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional?
What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.
What are some of the most unique places in the world?
Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world’s heritage.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sichuan
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area – Adventure Access tours available.
Your Adventure is our Local!
Adventure Access offers guide services for Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong National Parks. We also lead environmentally safe and culturally immersive experiences throughout Huanglong’s core zones and nearby buffer zones. Locations include the Mount Xuebaoding region, Muni Valley, and the Hongxing region.
What is the World Heritage Project?
As part of its cultural mission, UNESCO adopted an international treaty in 1972 aimed at protecting important cultural and natural sites around the world. In 1976 the organization formed the World Heritage Committee and began selecting sites to be included on the World Heritage List.
What is the UNESCO?
Based in Paris, UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations focused on building peace through educational, scientific and cultural initiatives. While the organization sponsors many projects around the world, for our purpose we will be focusing on their World Heritage Project.
What are the three categories of World Heritage Sites?
In general, there are three categories of World Heritage Sites: cultural, natural or mixed (both cultural and natural).
Which country has the most World Heritage sites?
Currently there are 1092 properties included on the World Heritage List. The countries with the most World Heritage Sites? Italy tops the charts at 54 sites followed by China at 53 and Spain at 47.
What does being a UNESCO site really mean?
More tourists? Probably. More funding and recognition? Possibly. Better protection, enforced by a committee that promotes responsible tourism? Definitely.
How many places are inscribed by UNESCO?
Despite this, there are worries about the effect the list has on natural environments. While many of the 1,000 places inscribed by UNESCO have been better-protected as a result, many feel the negative impact of their fame.
Why are some sites considered world heritage?
Sites are put on the World Heritage list because something about them is valuable to the people of the world – as in all of humanity .
How many World Heritage sites are there?
How many World Heritage Sites are there in the world? Quite a few actually. Currently there are 1092 sites on the World Heritage List in 162 countries. So basically, they are all over the world – as they should be, right? Chances are there is a World Heritage Site near you.
Who decides what makes the World Heritage List?
So…who exactly who is in charge of deciding if a site is worthy of the list? There’s a whole bunch of people involved. Let’s break it down as simply as possible.
Why was the World Heritage List created?
This was an effort to encourage the nations of the world to come together to identify (and commit to protect) their most precious sites of natural and cultural importance. Then, from this treaty, the World Heritage List was formed.
Why is Hallstatt important?
It is obviously an important place since “humankind has inhabited the valleys between huge mountains for over three millennia” mostly because they were mining for salt. A TON can be learned about the history of salt mining from Hallstatt, since they’ve been doing it here since the Bronze Age.
How many representatives are on the World Heritage Committee?
The last step, is for the World Heritage Committee to meet and make decisions. Once a year, a group of 21 representatives from the State Parties (elected by the General Assembly) get together, go over the nominations and decide who makes the cut and ends up on the World Heritage List.
What is World Heritage listing?
A World Heritage Listing isn’t only a prestigious honor, it’s a joint commitment. By being on the List, the home nation is making a commitment to preserve the site. But beyond that, should the site’s value to the world be threatened (like by war, lack of maintenance funds, or a natural disaster) – the other countries that signed the treaty are required to assist in the protection of the site.
Why is UNESCO a World Heritage Site?
By assigning places as World Heritage Sites, UNESCO wants to help to pass them on to future generations. Its motivation is that “ [h]eritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today” and that both cultural and natural heritage are “irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration”. UNESCO's mission with respect to World Heritage consists of eight subtargets. These include encouraging the commitment of countries and local population to World Heritage conservation in various ways, providing emergency assistance for sites in danger, offering technical assistance and professional training, and supporting States Parties' public awareness-building activities.
How many world heritage sites are there?
As of June 2020, a total of 1,121 World Heri tage Sites (869 cultural, 213 natural, and 39 mixed properties) exist across 167 countries.
How much did the UNESCO project cost?
The project cost US$80 million (equivalent to $251.28 million in 2020), about $40 million of which was collected from 50 countries. The project's success led to other safeguarding campaigns, such as saving Venice and its lagoon in Italy, the ruins of Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan, and the Borobodur Temple Compounds in Indonesia. Together with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, UNESCO then initiated a draft convention to protect cultural heritage.
What did Egypt do to save the Nile Valley?
In 1954, the government of Egypt decided to build the new Aswan High Dam, whose resulting future reservoir would eventually inundate a large stretch of the Nile valley containing cultural treasures of ancient Egypt and ancient Nubia. In 1959, the governments of Egypt and Sudan requested UNESCO to assist them to protect and rescue the endangered monuments and sites. In 1960, the Director-General of UNESCO launched the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia. This appeal resulted in the excavation and recording of hundreds of sites, the recovery of thousands of objects, as well as the salvage and relocation to higher ground of several important temples. The most famous of these are the temple complexes of Abu Simbel and Philae. The campaign ended in 1980 and was considered a success. To thank countries which especially contributed to the campaign's success, Egypt donated four temples; the Temple of Dendur was moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Temple of Debod to the Parque del Oeste in Madrid, the Temple of Taffeh to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, and the Temple of Ellesyia to Museo Egizio in Turin.
How do countries list their sites?
A country must first list its significant cultural and natural sites into a document known as the Tentative List. Next, it can place sites selected from that list into a Nomination File , which is evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union. A country may not nominate sites that have not been first included on its Tentative List. These bodies then make their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. The Committee meets once a year to determine whether or not to inscribe each nominated property on the World Heritage List; sometimes it defers its decision or requests more information from the country which nominated the site. There are ten selection criteria – a site must meet at least one to be included on the list.
What is the purpose of the World Heritage Trust?
A White House conference in 1965 called for a "World Heritage Trust" to preserve "the world's superb natural and scenic areas and historic sites for the present and the future of the entire world citizenry".
Why is a site on the World Heritage list in danger?
A site may be added to the List of World Heritage in Danger if conditions threaten the characteristics for which the landmark or area was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Such problems may involve armed conflict and war, natural disasters, pollution, poaching, or uncontrolled urbanisation or human development.
