Recently, the Committee decided to open up to new categories such as cultural landscapes and routes, industrial heritage (for example, this year, Ivrea, the industrial city of the 20th century, in Italy), deserts, marine sites coastal and small island sites, so that the list is more diverse and more representative of World Heritage. The sites proposed for inscription must meet at least one of the ten selection criteria, such as, for example, representing a masterpiece of human creative genius, testifying to an exchange of influences during History, to bear exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a living or extinct civilization, or else to represent natural phenomena of exceptional beauty and aesthetic importance or, of course, to be eminently representative examples of ecological and biological processes … Italy is the country with the largest number (54), followed by China (53), Spain (47), France (44), Germany (44), and finally, Mexico (35).
China: Fanjingshan, a very rare ecosystemSouth Korea: the Sansa, mountain Buddhist monasteriesFrance: the Chaine des Puys Tectonic High Place – Limagne FaultIndonesia: Heritage of the Ombilin coal mine in SawahluntoAustralia: Budj Bim Cultural LandscapeColombia: Chiribiquete National Park and “The Maloca of the Jaguars”Czech Republic: Landscape of breeding and training of ceremonial carriage horses in Kladruby nad LabemChina: Archaeological ruins of the city of LiangzhuTurkey: Göbekli Tepe and its mysterious templeLaos: Xieng Khouang Megalithic Jar Sites – Plain of JarsBurkina Faso: Ancient iron metallurgy sitesDenmark: Aasivissuit-Nipisat, Inuit hunting groundsAzerbaijan: Historic Center of Sheki with the Khan’s PalaceOman: the ancient city of QalhatIndia: City of Jaipur, RajasthanSouth Africa: the mountains of Barberton MakhonjwaBahrain: Tombs of the Dilmun cultureCanada: Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’piGermany: the border archaeological complex of Hedeby and the DanevirkeJapan: Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Set: Ancient Japanese Burial MoundsSpain: the caliphal city of Medina AzaharaSpain: Cultural Landscape of Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran CanariaItaly: The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and ValdobbiadeneIran: The Sasanian Archaeological Landscape of the Fars RegionMexico: the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley and its original habitat in MesoamericaThe 20th Century Architectural Works of Frank Lloyd WrightIraq: BabylonMyanmar: BaganUnited Kingdom: Jodrell Bank ObservatoryCzech Republic: Mining region Erzgebirge/KrušnohoříPoland: Prehistoric striped flint mining region of KrzemionkiPortugal: Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in BragaKorea: Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian AcademiesPortugal: Mafra Royal Building – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (Tapada)Russia: Churches of the Pskov School of ArchitectureIceland: Vatnajökull National Park – the dynamic nature of fire and iceChina: Migratory bird sanctuary along the coastline of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai GulfFrance: French Southern Lands and SeasBrazil: Paraty and Ilha Grande – culture and biodiversity
This amazing place is in Ecuador and belongs to the Galapagos archipelago. This unbelievable shallow water lagoon in the middle of the sea is a food court for millions of flamingos.
2 – Nyiragongo Crater – Africa
It is the largest lava lake in the world.
3 – Navagio Beach – Greece
It is one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet. Bathed by the crystal-clear sea, this beach is on the edge of the escarpment of a gigantic rock. As if Nature didn’t make the place special enough, a sunken ship in the middle of the beach completes the dream look. This beach is on the island of Zakynthos, and attracts thousands of wealthy tourists who arrive aboard cruise ships, sailboats and million-dollar speedboats.
4 – Havasu – Arizona Falls – USA
Here is a place as spectacular as it is inaccessible. To get to this unbelievable waterfall in the middle of the Arizona desert, you just need to travel by plane, by car and finally by horse. There is also a helicopter that takes people there. This place is located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation in the Grand Canyon National Park.
5 – Mont Saint Michel – France
One of the most interesting places on Earth is Monte San Michel, which at certain times is engulfed by water and reveals the splendor of the construction. It is located in a medieval town called Avranches. There is the monastery that gives the place its name. This monastery, fortified in the 13th century, integrates a group of three cities whose fortifications and development are remarkable: Aigues Mortes (1270-1276), meeting point of the Crusaders heading for the Holy Land; Carcassone, famous for its defences and Avignon, Christendom’s alternative seat (1309-1377). These fortified cities, called “bastide” marked the frontiers of the kingdoms at the end of the Middle Ages, serving as elements of defense and giving the people new social opportunities. More than 300 were built in France alone, between the years 1220 and 1350.
6 – Death Valley – California– USA
In Death Valley (one of the driest places on Earth) is the place called Playa Death Valley. There, a strange phenomenon takes place. For years the phenomenon has intrigued people. It was the mystery of the walking stones. It is a huge open area, which contains some stones that over the years and years have left a trace in the ground, as if they were walking. The tracks curve, change direction and sometimes get in the way. The place is definitely one of the weirdest known to men.
7 – Pamukkale – Turkey
It is a set of thermal pools that descend in the form of a cascade on a hill located in the Hierapolis – Pamukkale site, UNESCO World Heritage Site in Turkey. Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish. Looking at it seems to be cold, by the impression that it is snow, however, the water contained in these basins is hot! The scientific explanation for this phenomenon is that the thermal places located below the mount cause the spillage of calcium carbonate, which solidifies on the surface, as if it were marble. The place is totally suitable for swimming and the landscape is phenomenal! The effect of erosion by water over time was giving the hill varied forms, molding it in incredible and even bizarre ways, that keep changing continuously. Both the water and the “waterfalls” change color according to sunlight, resulting in a spectacular effect! Without a doubt one of the most beautiful places in the world.
8 – The steps of India– India
Known as Baoli Stepwell, they are unusual architectural formations found in western India and Pakistan as well. The steps seem infinite, and this was done because, depending on the time of year, the amount of water in the reservoirs varied. The look of the place gives it an incredible, almost dreamlike appearance.
9 – Blue Lake Cave – Bonito – Brazil
The Blue Lake Cave is one of the most beautiful places in Brazil. So much so that it is in a place called Bonito, in Mato Grosso do Sul. By the way, Brazil has so many fantastic places that it was impossible to choose just one. I’ll have to make a post only from Gumps places in Brazil. But just take a look at the beauty of the place that this cave is, where the light tinges a blue that looks like a badly done special effect because it is so beautiful. Drooling!
10 – Palau – Micronesia
By far, Palau is one of the most beautiful and exotic corners on the planet. The crystal clear sea, the rocks covered with vegetation, so many islands that it’s impossible to count. It looks like 3D, but it’s real.
An amazing compilation, even though there are other amazing places left out from this selection, which was not made by me, but had to be shared! Hope you enjoy it… And dream a bit for the next escape after this pandemic is over!
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