List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.[1] Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage.[2] To make a country's historical sites eligible for designation as a World Heritage Sites, the country needs to sign the World Heritage Convention.[3] World Heritage Sites are selected during the annual sessions of the World Heritage Committee.[4][5] The first World Heritage Site in the list is the Galápagos Islands.[6] The 24th session in 2000 inscribed the most with 61 entries, while the 13th session in 1989 only inscribed seven sites.[5]
1978 (1st list - 2nd session)
[edit](F) denotes the first site given World Heritage Status from its respective country
12 sites (8 cultural, 4 natural)
Host:
United States
| Country | Site | Category | UNESCO Reference no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site (F) | Cultural | 4 | |
| Nahanni National Park | Natural | 24 | |
| City of Quito | Cultural | 2 | |
| Galápagos Islands (F) | Natural | 1 | |
| Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela | Cultural | 18 | |
| Simien National Park (F) | Natural | 9 | |
| ( |
Aachen Cathedral (F) | Cultural | 3 |
| Historic Centre of Kraków (F) | Cultural | 29 | |
| Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines | Cultural | 32 | |
| Island of Gorée (F) | Cultural | 26 | |
| Mesa Verde National Park | Cultural | 27 | |
| Yellowstone National Park (F) | Natural | 28 |
1979 (3rd session)
[edit]45 sites (34 cultural, 8 natural, 3 mixed)
Host:
Egypt
1980 (4th session)
[edit]27 sites (22 cultural, 5 natural)
Host:
France
1981 (5th session)
[edit]26 sites (15 cultural, 9 natural, 2 mixed)
Host:
Australia
1982 (6th session)
[edit]24 sites (17 cultural, 5 natural, 2 mixed)
Host:
France
1983 (7th session)
[edit]29 sites (19 cultural, 9 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
Italy
1984 (8th session)
[edit]22 sites (15 cultural, 7 natural)
Host:
Argentina
1985 (9th session)
[edit]30 sites (25 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
France
1986 (10th session)
[edit]29 sites (23 cultural, 5 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
France
1987 (11th session)
[edit]41 sites (32 cultural, 7 natural, 2 mixed)
Host:
France
1988 (12th session)
[edit]27 sites (19 cultural, 5 natural, 3 mixed)
Host:
Brazil
1989 (13th session)
[edit]7 sites (4 cultural, 2 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
France
| Country | Site | Category | UNESCO Reference no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archaeological Site of Mystras | Cultural | 511 | |
| Archaeological Site of Olympia | Cultural | 517 | |
| Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi | Cultural | 524 | |
| Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) | Mixed | 516 | |
| Banc d'Arguin National Park (F) | Natural | 506 | |
| Monastery of Alcobaça | Cultural | 505 | |
| Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls | Natural | 509 |
1990 (14th session)
[edit]16 sites (11 cultural, 2 natural, 3 mixed)
Host:
Canada
1991 (15th session)
[edit]22 sites (16 cultural, 6 natural)
Host:
Tunisia
1992 (16th session)
[edit]20 sites (16 cultural, 4 natural)
Host:
United States
1993 (17th session)
[edit]33 sites (29 cultural, 4 natural)
Host:
Colombia
1994 (18th session)
[edit]29 sites (21 cultural, 8 natural)
Host:
Thailand
1995 (19th session)
[edit]29 sites (23 cultural, 6 natural)
Host:
Germany
1996 (20th session)
[edit]37 sites (30 cultural, 5 natural, 2 mixed)
Host:
Mexico
1997 (21st session)
[edit]46 sites (38 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
Italy
1998 (22nd session)
[edit]30 sites (27 cultural, 3 natural)
Host:
Japan
1999 (23rd session)
[edit]48 sites (35 cultural, 11 natural, 2 mixed)
Host:
Morocco
2000 (24th session)
[edit]61 sites (50 cultural, 10 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
Australia
2001 (25th session)
[edit]31 sites (25 cultural, 6 natural)
Host:
Finland
2002 (26th session)
[edit]9 sites (8 cultural, 1 mixed)
Host:
Hungary
| Country | Site | Category | UNESCO Reference no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (F) | Cultural | 211 | |
| Saint Catherine Area | Cultural | 954 | |
| Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar | Cultural | 1067 | |
| Upper Middle Rhine Valley | Cultural | 1066 | |
| Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape | Cultural | 1063 | |
| Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya | Cultural | 1056 | |
| Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) | Cultural | 1024 | |
| Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche | Mixed | 1061 | |
| Historic Inner City of Paramaribo | Cultural | 940 |
2003 (27th session)
[edit]24 sites (19 cultural, 5 natural)
Host:
France
2004 (28th session)
[edit]34 sites (29 cultural, 5 natural)
Host:
China
2005 (29th session)
[edit]24 sites (17 cultural, 7 natural)
Host:
South Africa
2006 (30th session)
[edit]18 sites (16 cultural, 2 natural)
Host:
Lithuania
2007 (31st session)
[edit]22 sites (16 cultural, 4 natural, 2 mixed)
Host:
New Zealand
2008 (32nd session)
[edit]27 sites (19 cultural, 8 natural)
Host:
Canada
2009 (33rd session)
[edit]13 sites (11 cultural, 2 natural)
Host:
Spain
| Country | Site | Category | UNESCO Reference no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stoclet House | Cultural | 1298 | |
| Ruins of Loropéni (F) | Cultural | 1225 | |
| Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande (F) | Cultural | 1310 | |
| Mount Wutai | Cultural | 1279 | |
| Wadden Sea | Natural | 1314 | |
| Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System | Cultural | 1315 | |
| The Dolomites | Natural | 1237 | |
| Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain (F) | Cultural | 1230 | |
| Sacred City of Caral-Supe | Cultural | 1269 | |
| Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty | Cultural | 1319 | |
| Tower of Hercules | Cultural | 1312 | |
| La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning | Cultural | 1302 | |
| Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal | Cultural | 1303 |
2010 (34th session)
[edit]21 sites (15 cultural, 5 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
Brazil
2011 (35th session)
[edit]25 sites (21 cultural, 3 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
France
2012 (36th session)
[edit]26 sites (20 cultural, 5 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
Russia
2013 (37th session)
[edit]19 sites (14 cultural, 5 natural)
Host:
Cambodia
2014 (38th session)
[edit]26 sites (22 cultural, 3 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
Qatar
2015 (39th session)
[edit]24 sites (23 cultural, 1 mixed)
Host:
Germany
2016 (40th session)
[edit]21 sites (12 cultural, 6 natural, 3 mixed)
Host:
Turkey
2017 (41st session)
[edit]21 sites (18 cultural, 3 natural)
Host:
Poland
2018 (42nd session)
[edit]19 sites (13 cultural, 3 natural, 3 mixed)
Host:
Bahrain
2019 (43rd session)
[edit]29 sites (24 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed)
Host:
Azerbaijan
2021 (44th session)
[edit]The 44th session was originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the World Heritage Committee voted on both 2020 and 2021 nominations.[7]
34 sites (29 cultural, 5 natural)
Host:
China
2023 (18th extraordinary session)
[edit]At its 18th extraordinary session in January 2023, the World Heritage Committee added three sites under an emergency procedure to both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.[8][9]
3 sites (3 cultural)
Host:
France
| Country | Site | Category | UNESCO Reference no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli | Cultural | 1702 | |
| The Historic Centre of Odesa | Cultural | 1703 | |
| Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib | Cultural | 1700 |
2023 (45th session)
[edit]The 45th session was originally scheduled to be held from 19 June to 30 June, 2022, in Kazan, Russia, but was postponed indefinitely due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[10] The World Heritage Committee then rescheduled the 45th session to 10-25 September 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, voted on 2022 and 2023 nominations.[11]
42 sites (33 cultural, 9 natural)
Host:
Saudi Arabia
2024 (46th session)
[edit]24 Sites (19 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed).
Host:
India
| Country | Site | Category | UNESCO Reference no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vjetrenica Cave, Ravno | Natural | 1673 | |
| Lençóis Maranhenses National Park | Natural | 1611 | |
| Royal Court of Tiébélé | Cultural | 1713 | |
| Badain Jaran Desert – Towers of Sand and Lakes | Natural | 1638 | |
| Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital | Cultural | 1714 | |
| Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia | Cultural | 13 | |
( |
Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands | Mixed | 1707 |
| Herrnhut Moravian Church Settlement | Cultural | 1468bis-002 | |
| Schwerin Residence Ensemble | Cultural | 1705 | |
| Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty | Cultural | 1711 | |
| Hegmataneh | Cultural | 1716 | |
| Via Appia. Regina Viarum | Cultural | 1708 | |
| Sado Island Gold Mines | Cultural | 1698 | |
| Umm Al-Jimāl | Cultural | 1721 | |
| The Historic Town and Archaeological Site of Gedi | Cultural | 1720 | |
| The Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex | Cultural | 1014 | |
| Saint Hilarion Monastery/Tell Umm Amer | Cultural | 1749 | |
| Frontiers of the Roman Empire - Dacia | Cultural | 1718 | |
| Brâncusi Monumental Ensemble of Târgu Jiu | Cultural | 1473 | |
| Cultural Landscape of Kenozero Lake | Cultural | 1688 | |
| The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area | Cultural | 1712 | |
| Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites | Cultural | 1676 | |
| The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa | Cultural | 1723 | |
| Phu Phrabat, a testimony to the Sīma stone tradition of the Dvaravati period | Cultural | 1507 | |
| The Flow Country | Natural | 1722 | |
| Gracehill Moravian Church Settlement | Cultural | 1468bis-004 | |
| Bethlehem Moravian Church Settlement | Cultural | 1468bis-003 |
2025 (47th session)
[edit]The 47th session was originally scheduled to be held in July in Sofia, Bulgaria, but was moved to Paris, France.[12]
26 Sites (21 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed).
Host:
France
| Country | Site | Category | UNESCO Reference no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murujuga Cultural Landscape | Cultural | 1709 | |
| Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park | Natural | 1747 | |
| Cambodian Memorial Sites: From centres of repression to places of peace and reflection | Cultural | 1748 | |
| Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains | Cultural | 1745 | |
| Xixia Imperial Tombs | Cultural | 1736 | |
| Møns Klint | Natural | 1728 | |
| Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan | Cultural | 1725 | |
| The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee | Cultural | 1726 | |
| Minoan Palatial Centres | Cultural | 1733 | |
| Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Bijagós Archipelago – Omatí Minhô (F) | Natural | 1431 | |
| Maratha Military Landscapes of India | Cultural | 1739 | |
| The Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley | Cultural | 1744 | |
| Funerary Tradition in the Prehistory of Sardinia – The domus de janas | Cultural | 1730 | |
| The Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal | Cultural | 1595 | |
| Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape | Cultural | 1201 | |
| Forest Research Institute Malaysia Forest Park Selangor | Cultural | 1734 | |
| Wixárika Route through Sacred Sites to Wirikuta (Tatehuarí Huajuyé) | Cultural | 1704 | |
| Mount Kumgang – Diamond Mountain from the Sea | Mixed | 1642 | |
| The Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panamá | Cultural | 1582 | |
| Rock Paintings of Shulgan-Tash Cave | Cultural | 1743 | |
| Gola-Tiwai Complex (F) | Natural | 1746 | |
| Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream | Cultural | 1740 | |
| Cultural Heritage Sites of Ancient Khuttal | Cultural | 1627 | |
| Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe | Cultural | 1731 | |
| Faya Palaeolandscape | Cultural | 1735 | |
| Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Landscapes | Cultural | 1732 |
See also
[edit]- Former UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- List of World Heritage in Danger
- Lists of World Heritage Sites
- World Heritage Sites by country
References
[edit]- ^ "The World Heritage Convention". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
- ^ "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "States Parties - UNESCO World Heritage Convention". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ a b Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Number of World Heritage properties inscribed each Year". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Galápagos Islands". whc.unesco.org.
- ^ UNESCO (16 July 2021). "Extended 44th World Heritage Committee session opens in Fuzhou, China". UNESCO. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ "Ukraine's Odesa city put on UNESCO heritage in danger list". Associated Press. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Three sites 'in danger' added to UNESCO World Heritage List". CNN. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "UNESCO indefinitely postpones planned world heritage meeting in Russia". The Art Newspaper. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia to host UNESCO's World Heritage Committee meetings in September". Saudi Gazette. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Embarrassing Failure: Bulgaria Loses UNESCO Session but Still Pays the Bill". Novinite. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
External links
[edit]- UNESCO World Heritage portal – Official website (in English and French)
- The World Heritage List – Official searchable list of all Inscribed Properties
- New Inscribed Properties – List of new Inscribed Properties. Also lists nominated sites prior to an upcoming session of the World Heritage Committee.