UNESCO Announces New World Heritage Sites

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed 21 sites on the World Heritage List during its annual meeting on July 10 to 17 in Turkey.

According to the organization, the inscribed sites should meet one or more of the 10 criteria, which include representing a masterpiece of human creative genius, being an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement or containing exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.

UNESCO's newly inscribed sites for the 2016 World Heritage List are the following:

1.     Mistaken Point - Canada

2.     Hubei Shennongjia - China

3.     Archaeological site of Ani - Turkey

4.     Gorham's Cave complex - UK

5.     Archipiélago de Revillagigedo - Mexico

6.     Khangchendzonga National Park - India

7.     Antigua Naval Dockyard - Antigua and Barbuda

8.     Le Corbusier Architectural Work - Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Japan and Switzerland

9.     Stećci Medieval Tombstones - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia

10. Pampulha Modern Ensemble - Brazil

11. Ennedi Massif Natural and Cultural Landscape - Chad

12. Zuojiang Huashan rock art cultural landscape - China

13. Philippi Archaeological Site - Greece

14. Archaeological site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanada University) at Nalanda, Bihar - India

15. Lut Desert - Iran

16. Persian Qanat - Iran

17. The Ahwar of Southern Iraq - Iraq

18. Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay - Mukkawar Island Marine National Park - Sudan

19. Antequera Dolmens site - Spain

20. Western Tien-Shan -  Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

21. Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia - Micronesia

The World Heritage Committee also included several sites to the List of World Heritage in Danger due to armed conflict, natural disasters and lack of economic resources among others.

Micronesia's Nan Madol Ceremonial Center is included in this list because of nature's impact on the site's stone structures.

Five World Heritage sites in Libya were also added due to the damage caused by conflict in the country. These sites are the Archaeological Site of Cyrene, Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna, Archaeological Site of Sabratha, Rock-Art of Tadrart Acacus and the Old Town of Ghadamès.