On July 8, at its 32nd session, UNESCO, (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) announced 27 new additions to the organization’s list of cultural and natural heritage sites. The meeting was held in Quebec City, Canada. UNESCO, a specialized agency formed in 1945, “seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.”

Here at TravelMuse, we love UNESCO World Heritage Sites! As a photo editor, if I am ever at a loss for finding pictures for certain countries or cities, I know I will always be able to find a picture of an UNESCO site that will make for an interesting picture and caption. If you plan to travel, it’s always a good idea to look into UNESCO sites near where you will be. You are sure to see sites that are both interesting and rich in history. The new sites are:

New UNESCO Cultural Sites:

• Preah Vihear Temple (Cambodia)
• Fujian Tulou (China)
• Stari Grad Plain (Croatia)
• Historic Centre of Camagüey (Cuba)
• Fortifications of Vauban (France)
• Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (Germany)
• Armenian Monastic Ensembles in Iran (Iran)
• Baha’i Holy Places in Haifa and Western Galilee (Israel)
• Mantua and Sabbioneta (Italy)
• The Mijikenda Kaya Forests (Kenya)
• Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia)
• Protective town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús de Nazareno de Atotonilco (Mexico)
• Le Morne Cultural Landscape (Mauritius)
• Kuk Early Agricultural Site (Papua New Guinea)
• San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano (San Marino)
• Archaeological Site of Al-Hijr (Madâin Sâlih) (Saudi Arabia)
• The Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area (Slovakia)
• Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Cultural Landscape (Switzerland and Italy)
• Chief Roi Mata's Domain (Vanuatu)

CC: seier+seier+seier

Siemensstadt Housing, designed by architect Hugo Häring, is one the six Berlin Modernism Housing Estates that were chosen to be a UNESCO World Heritage site.

New UNESCO Natural Sites:

• Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Canada)
• Mount Sanqingshan National Park (China)
• Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (France)
• Surtsey (Iceland)
• Saryarka - Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)
• Monarch Butterfly biosphere Reserve (Mexico)
• Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona (Switzerland)
• Socotra Archipelago (Yemen)

Added Extensions:

• Historic centers of Berat and Gjirokastra (Albania)
• Mountain Railways of India (India)
• Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain (Spain)
• The Antonine Wall (United Kingdom)

This year, Papua New Guinea, San Marino, Saudi Arabia and Vanuatu, had sites inscribed on the World Heritage List for the first time. The addition of the 27 sites brings the number of sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List up to 878. This includes 679 cultural site, 174 natural sites and 25 mixed sites in 145 countries.