New Sites Added to UNESCO World Heritage List

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee added 13 new sites to its World Heritage List last week, bringing the total of protected sites to 890 properties. The list, which encourages countries to preserve important cultural locations, now includes two additional Natural Heritage sites and 11 Cultural Heritage sites, including the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales (above). 

The Ruins of Loropeni in Burkina Faso, Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande in Cape Verde, and Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain

(right) in Kyrgyzstan became the first World Heritage sites in their respective countries. The list includes 148 different States Parties, which have agreed to follow the World Heritage Convention.

The committee also placed three sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger, which includes sites that require major conservation efforts in order to retain their cultural integrity. This move is particularly relevant after the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany lost its status as a World Heritage site in this latest session of committee proceedings.

For more info and pictures, check out National Geographic News.

Photographs courtesy Paul Highnam and David Trilling, UNESCO