UNESCO NAMES THE WORLD HERITAGE FOR 2016

ANTIGUA NAVAL DOCKYARD AND RELATED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

UNESCO has finally named 2016’s new World Heritage Sites following their annual meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization meets each year to induct significant sites, both natural and cultural, to its prestigious preservation list. To be considered, the sites must meet one or more of 10 criteria such as representing “a masterpiece of human creative genius,” containing “exceptional natural beauty,” or exhibiting “an important interchange of human values.”

There are now 1,052 places of “outstanding universal value” that have received the honor. This year’s World Heritage Sites span the globe from Brazil, to China, to Canada, to Spain. Highlights include:

THE ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE OF ANI

Antequera Dolmens, Spain

HUBEI SHENNONGJIA

ARCHIPIÉLAGO DE REVILLAGIGEDO

Mexico

THE AHWAR OF SOUTHERN IRAQ: REFUGE OF BIODIVERSITY AND THE RELICT LANDSCAPE OF THE MESOPOTAMIAN CITIES

Iraq

STEĆCI MEDIEVAL TOMBSTONES GRAVEYARDS

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia

LUT DESERT

Iran

MISTAKEN POINT

Canada

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF NALANDA MAHAVIHARA (NALANDA UNIVERSITY) AT NALANDA, BIHAR

India

NAN MADOL: CEREMONIAL CENTRE OF EASTERN MICRONESIA

Micronesia

PAMPULHA MODERN ENSEMBLE

Brazil

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF PHILIPPI

Greece

THE PERSIAN QANAT

Iran

SANGANEB MARINE NATIONAL PARK AND DUNGONAB BAY – MUKKAWAR ISLAND MARINE NATIONAL PARK

Sudan

WESTERN TIEN-SHAN

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan

ZUOJIANG HUASHAN ROCK ART CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

China

GORHAM’S CAVE COMPLEX

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

KHANGCHENDZONGA NATIONAL PARK

India

ENNEDI MASSIF: NATURAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

Chad

THE ARCHITECTURAL WORK OF LE CORBUSIER, AN OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE MODERN MOVEMENT

Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Japan, Switzerland

You can view the full list of newly inducted World Heritage Sites, along with in depth descriptions of each, here.