UNESCO wraps up work with 21 new heritage sites

Aug 3, 2010, 19:31 GMT

Brasilia - The cultural arm of the United Nations concluded its annual meeting Tuesday after adding 21 new World Heritage sites to roster.

During 10 days of meetings in the Brazilian capital, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also expanded seven existing World Heritage sites and dubbed the nature Heritage site Ngorongoro in Tanzania also a cultural site.

New sites range from convict sites in Australia to the site where the atomic bomb was tested on Bikini Atoll to prehistoric caves in Mexico.

The 2010 listings include single sites in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Germany, India, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, the United States and Vietnam, plus two sites each in China, France, Iran and Mexico.

In Europe, sites now include Amsterdam's 17th-century Canal Ring area, where boats once transported the goods that made the Dutch city a trade hub, and the episcopal city of Albi in France, known for its cathedral and buildings dating to the Middle Ages.

Sites were expanded in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Norway, the Moldavia region, Portugal and Italy.

Four sites were declared 'in danger': Georgia's Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery, Madagascar's Atsinanana rainforest, Uganda's tombs of Buganda kings and the Everglades National Park in the United States.

Just nine of the 32 sites considered were turned down, UNESCO spokeswoman Sue Williams said.

There are now 911 cultural and nature World Heritage sites in 151 countries. The designation is highly sought after and seen as a draw for tourism.

The group will next meet in Bahrain in June.