Expanded and updated to include the 45 sites added to the World Heritage List in 2012 and 2013. Praise for previous editions: "No school, public, or academic library could go wrong including the very affordable World Heritage Sites in both reference and circulating collections." -- Booklist "The beauty of this book is in both the lavish photographs and the accessibility of information... An excellent (and affordable) addition to any library." -- Library Journal This new, fifth edition presents the complete and most up-to-date list of 981 World Heritage sites, including the 26 sites inscribed in 2012 and the 19 sites inscribed in 2013. Some of these newly inscripted sites are Red Basque Bay Whaling Station, Canada; Historic Centre of Agadez, Niger; Medici Villas and Gardens, Tuscany, Italy; Mount Etna, also in Italy; and the Nabib Sand Sea in Namibia. The strict listing criteria mean only the most extraordinary, important and best-managed sites make the cut. Other inscripted sites include the Statue of Liberty, the Great Barrier Reef, the Historic Center of Vienna, Bikini Atoll Nuclear Test Site, Australian Convict Sites, Prehistoric Caves of Yagul (Mexico), Robben Island, Ancient Damascus, Kremlin and Red Square and the Tower of London. Failure to maintain the criteria can result in delisting, the fate of Arab Oryx Sanctuary in 2007 and Dresden Elbe Valley in 2009. Clear text gives a brief history of the site, explaining its significance and the criteria that put it on the list. A location map gives readers an instant understanding of where it is in the world and color photographs illustrate the site. This is an ideal reference for trip planning, as a travel guide or for the armchair traveler. The World Heritage List is a roll call of the world's most important cultural, natural and mixed sites. The purpose of the list is to safeguard cultural and natural heritage considered to be of outstanding, universal value to humanity. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has overseen the list since its inception in 1959. [Review of previous edition] Guides you to visually thrilling locales around the world. (Sheldon Kirshner Canadian Jewish News 2010-12-09) [Review of previous edition] World Heritage Sites is a great reminder that it isn't just land that we need to protect, but the hundreds of thousands of treasures from ancient civilizations, cultural relics, natural habitats and other sites important to human history.... This guide arranges them chronologically by the year they were designated by UNESCO, and offers color photos, a brief history and explanation of their further significance, the criteria that put them on the list and, for some of the sites, additional trivia. (Kyle Wagner Denver Post 2009-10-11) [Review of previous edition] Really a great and informative publication! ( digonsite.com 2010-06-01) [Review of previous edition] History buffs, travel gurus and cultural enthusiasts alike will delight in this global guide to hundreds of locations. Supported by the United Nations' Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, this book features more than 650 photographs and 900 maps that detail 878 locales, each accompanied by a pithy description about their cultural impact.... The guide is comprehensive, providing a treasure trove of information about the world's most historically significant structures and locations.... Readers are sure to be swept away by this all-encompassing testament to world culture. ( Kirkus Reviews Reference Supplement 2009-09-01) [Review of previous edition] The cover boasts a gorgeous photo of the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The back shows the Taj Mahal, pink in the light of dawn. And in between there are more than 800 pages-and almost two kilograms' worth -that are filled with information about natural and cultural wonders from every corner of the globe. In a way, the book is a book of dreams - for people with the travel bug or those who just like to imagine what it would be like to see places the forces of nature and human ingenuity have wrought. All of these places are sites of physical or cultural significance on a list maintained by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Canada is well represented, with 15 sites, most of which are of natural rather than historic value. ( Waterloo Region Record 2009-12-12) [Review of previous edition] Most places-to-see-before-you-die books are a dime a dozen, but this one comes with the moral authority of the United Nations. World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 878 UNESCO World Heritage Sites features gorgeous photos ands pithy descriptions of Earth's most culturally, historically and geologically significant locations. (Rob Howatson Westworld 2009-11-23) [Review of previous edition] Think of it as the world's greatest hits. (Ellen Creager St. Paul Pioneer Press 2009-11-22) [Review of pr