World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 911 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

"No school, public, or academic library could go wrong including the very affordable World Heritage Sites in both reference and circulating collections." -- Booklist

In 1959, UNESCO launched an international campaign to safeguard the world's most important sites, which led to the first World Heritage List. This new edition includes the 21 brand-new sites, such as:

• The first capital of the Saudi dynasty
• Colonial-period convict sites in Australia
• Bikini Atoll
• Important commercial centers on the Silver Route and the Silk Road in Iran
• Subtropical rain forests and cloud forests in Réunion National Park
• A major reindeer migration route across the Arctic
• An 18th-century astronomical observation site in India

The 911 sites are found in 151 countries across the globe, and strict criteria assures that only the most spectacular and extraordinary sites make it onto the list. Many are familiar, such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Wall of China and Mount Kilimanjaro, and many are less known but equally important, including Sweden's Engelsberg ironworks and the Sewell Mining Town in Chile. The United States and Canada together boast 36 sites, including the Statue of Liberty, the Mammoth Caves, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Historic Quebec and Everglades National Park, recently added to the World Heritage List of Sites in Danger.

Featuring gorgeous photographs and updated maps, World Heritage Sites is a uniquely comprehensive and valuable resource to the world's most important historical and natural treasures.

Founded in 1945, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has the ambitious goal to build peace in the minds of men and women through education, social and natural science, culture and communication.