Every year, UNESCO meets to determine the next round of places that will be added to the organisation’s coveted list of World Heritage Sites. To qualify, a place or structure must have great cultural, historical, and/or natural significance. Destinations such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and Machu Picchu in Peru serve as prime examples. This year’s committee has announced 24 new sites, including the Frontiers of the Roman Empire in Romania, Nelson Mandela Legacy sites in South Africa, Sado Island Gold Mines in Japan, and the Flow Country, spread across the Scottish Highlands in the UK. Below, discover the full list of new places added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list for 2024, alongside some of the most beautiful entries of all time. Each is as stunning and diverse as the next—so prepare to be inspired.
The Newest UNESCO World Heritage Sites for 2024
- Badain Jaran Desert – Towers of Sand and Lakes (China)
- Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital (China)
- Brâncuși Monumental Ensemble of Târgu Jiu (Romania)
- Cultural Landscape of Kenozero Lake (Russian Federation)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia (Romania)
- Hegmataneh (Iran)
- Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites (South Africa)
- Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (Brazil)
- Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia (Ethiopia)
- Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty (India)
- Phu Phrabat, a testimony to the Sīma stone tradition of the Dvaravati period (Thailand)
- Royal Court of Tiébélé (Burkina Faso)
- Sado Island Gold Mines (Japan)
- Saint Hilarion Monastery/ Tell Umm Amer (State of Palestine)
- Schwerin Residence Ensemble (Germany)
- Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands (France)
- The Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex (Malaysia)
- The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area (Saudi Arabia)
- The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa (South Africa)
- The Flow Country (United Kingdom)
- The Historic Town and Archaeological Site of Gedi (Kenya)
- Umm Al-Jimāl (Jordan)
- Via Appia. Regina Viarum (Italy)
- Vjetrenica Cave, Ravno (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
The Prettiest UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the World
