New UNESCO World Heritage Sites

For its 32^nd session, the World Heritage committee has finished inscribing 27 new sites on the UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Nineteen cultural and eight natural sites from countries all over the world were picked. Up till today, there are 878 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 145 countries - 679 of them cultural sites, 174 natural sites and 25 are mixed sites.

As most nations celebrated their honours, this new list is nevertheless, accompanied by some disappointments and disagreement. One controversial example is the Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia. Thailand claims it belongs to them which led to a serious political conflict against listing the temple as a “Cambodian� UNESCO site.

When some are winners, some are losers. This year, Czech Republic’s scenic spa village Luha�ovice did not make it to the prestigious list. Adding more sites to a country is certainly a promotional boost to the tourism industry. Moreover, these extraordinary sites are not selected only on a basis of cultural significance, the selection is also based on whether they encounter any immediate danger from threats like development or environmental degradation.

The 19 new Cultural Sites inscribed:
1.Preah Vihear Temple (Cambodia)
2.Fujian Tulou (China)
3.Stari Grad Plain (Croatia)
4.Historic Centre of Camagüey (Cuba)
5.Fortifications of Vauban (France)
6.Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (Germany)
7.Armenian Monastic Ensembles in Iran (Iran)
8.Baha’i Holy Places in Haifa and Western Galilee (Israel)
9.Mantua and Sabbioneta (Italy)
10.The Mijikenda Kaya Forests (Kenya)
11.Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) Protective town of San Miguel
12.the Sanctuary of Jesús de Nazareno de Atotonilco (Mexico)
13.Le Morne Cultural Landscape (Mauritius)
14.Kuk Early Agricultural Site (Papua New Guinea)
15.San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano (San Marino)
16.Archaeological Site of Al-Hijr (Madâin Sâlih) (Saudi Arabia)
17.The Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area (Slovakia)
18.Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Cultural Landscape (Switzerland and Italy)
19.Chief Roi Mata"s Domain (Vanuatu)

The 8 new Natural Sites inscribed:
1.Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Canada)
2.Mount Sanqingshan National Park (China)
3.Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (France)
4.Surtsey (Iceland)
5.Saryarka - Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)
6.Monarch Butterfly biosphere Reserve (Mexico)
7.Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona (Switzerland)
8.Socotra Archipelago (Yemen)