World Heritage sites

World Heritage Site such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO .The programme conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity.

As of 2012, 962 sites are listed: 745 cultural, 188 natural, and 29 mixed properties, in 157 states parties.By sites ranked by country Italy is home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites with 47 sites, followed by Spain (44) and China (43).

Nominating process

A country must first take an inventory of its significant cultural and natural properties. This is called the Tentative List. A country may not nominate properties that have not already been included on the Tentative List. Next, it can select a property from this list to place into a Nomination File.

At this point, the file is evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union. These bodies then make their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. The Committee meets once per year to determine whether or not to inscribe each nominated property on the World Heritage List, and sometimes defers the decision to request more information from the country who nominated the site. There are few selection criteria to be met by each site before listing.