I've been exploring theme parks across the country (and the world) for over three decades, and there are so many options beyond Disney and Universal.
26.09.2023 - 15:23 / travelandleisure.com
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee added 42 sites to its World Heritage List this month, recognizing cultural and natural sites across the globe from Europe and Africa to the United States.
The list, which was updated as part of the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, now includes 33 new cultural sites and nine new natural sites, according to the group. In total, there are now 1,199 World Heritage sites across 168 different countries.
“These sites will now benefit from the highest level of heritage protection in the world,” UNESCO wrote in a statement. “They will also have access to new opportunities for technical and financial assistance from UNESCO.”
In the U.S., the group added the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks to the list, which is part of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Ohio. The site consists of “eight monumental earthen enclosure complexes built between 2,000 and 1,600 years ago along the central tributaries of the Ohio River.”
Courtesy of Ancient Merv State Historical Cultural Reserve
The new designation makes the Ohio site the 25th World Heritage Site in the U.S., according to the National Park Service.
Beyond the U.S., the new additions to the list feature several sites in Africa, including the first two in Rwanda: Nyungwe National Park and the genocide memorial sites at Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi, and Bisesero. In total, Africa now boasts 100 sites in total on the World Heritage List.
UNESCO also added sites in Europe like the Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt in Germany and the funerary and memory sites of the First World War in Belgium and France, as well as sites in Asia, South America, and more.
Courtesy of Xavi Marquès Triay
In addition to adding new sites to the list, UNESCO also decided not to add the city of Venice to its list of world heritage sites in danger despite recommendations to due to the effects of climate change and over-tourism.
This is a full list of the sites newly inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List this year.
Cultural properties:
Natural properties:
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UNESCO lists stunning natural and man-made sites around the world that it considers worth protecting for their cultural, historic, or scientific significance.