Canadian fossil landmark makes world listing
Fossil-rich cliffs in Canada, sea caves used by Neanderthals, artificial islands in the Pacific Ocean and structures designed by the architect Le Corbusier are among 21 new sites inscribed on the World Heritage List.
The additions were made by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, which opened its annual meeting in Istanbul only to be cut short by last week’s attempted coup in Turkey. Still, delegates managed to finish their business of making additions to the list, which now totals 1,052 sites. Here’s a look at the new sites: China, Hubei Shennongjia: the largest primary forest remaining in central China, this area is home to many rare animals.
China, Zuojiang Huashan rock art landscape: Thirty-eight sites of rock art dating from the 5th century BC.
Architectural works of Le Corbusier: This “site” is actually 17 structures in seven countries designed by the modernist Swissborn French architect CharlesEdouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier. The structures, including a chapel, a museum and a home, are in India, Japan, Argentina, France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.
Canada, Mistaken Point: A 16kilometre stretch of cliffs at the southeastern end of Newfoundland contains a large number of fossils from 580 million years ago.
Mexico, Archipiélago de Revillagigedo: These four islands off Mexico’s Pacific Coast are submerged volcanoes, their peaks poking above sea level.
Antigua, Naval dockyard and archeological sites: Becoming the first World Heritage listed area in Antigua and Barbuda, this group of naval buildings was constructed by the British navy with the labour of African slaves.
Sudan, Two marine national parks: This site is two separate areas, one a coral reef called Sanganeb Marine National Park and the other a collection of reefs, beaches, islets, mangroves and seagrass beds known as Dungonab Bay-Mukkawar Island Marine National Park.
Iran, The Lut desert: Strong winds sweep across the desert, tracing huge corrugated ridges.
Iran, the Persian Qanat: Sloping underground tunnels or channels designed to divert water to where it’s needed in dry regions.
Brazil, Pampulha Modern Ensemble: Cultural and leisure structures — including a casino, a ballroom, a golf yacht club and a church — that formed the centre of a garden city in Belo Horizonte.
India, Khangchendzonga National Park: A Himalayan expanse comprising plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and snowcapped mountains covered with ancient forests.
India, Nalanda University archeological site: Remains of the most ancient university of the Indian subcontinent, which was active for some 800 years and date from the 3rd century B.C..
Micronesia, Nan Madol Ceremonial Centre: Ninety-nine artificial islets off Pohnpei, southeast of Guam, contain the remains of stone palaces, temples, tombs and homes built between 1200 and 1500.
Turkey, Ani archeological site: A medieval city on the border with Armenia, Ani flourished in the 900 and 1000s when it became the capital of the medieval Armenian kingdom of the Bagratides and profited from control of part of the Silk Road.
Britain, Gorham’s Cave on Gibraltar: Four caves in the limestone cliffs on the eastern side of the Rock of Gibraltar contain evidence, including rock engravings, of Neanderthal occupation over a span of more than 125,000 years.
Greece, Philippi archeological site: Remains of a walled city sit on the Via Egnatia, an ancient route linking Europe and Asia.
Spain, Antequera Dolmens: Built during the Neolithic and Bronze Age out of large stone blocks, these three megalithic monuments are in Andalusia in southern Spain.
Iraq, The Ahwar: Comprised of seven sites in Iraq’s rich southern marshlands, this area encompasses three archeological areas including the cities of Uruk and Ur and four wetland marsh areas.
Chad, Ennedi Massif: Designated as a “mixed cultural and natural site,” Ennedi Massif is a sandstone formation sculpted by water and wind erosion over time into a plateau featuring canyons and valleys.
Trans-boundary site, Western Tien-Shan: Spanning Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the Tien-Shan mountains are very biodiverse and are the origin of many fruits grown as crops today.
Trans-boundary site, Medieval tombstones: Thirty areas in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia that contain cemeteries and regionally distinctive medieval limestone tombstones called stecci. The cemeteries date from the 1100s to the 1500s.