UNESCO World Heritage Sites

1. UNESCO World Heritage Sites

2. UNESCO • Stands for “United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization” • It sponsors a lot of projects like teacher-training programs, international science programs, the promotion of freedom of the press, cultural history projects, the promotion of cultural diversity, translations of world literature, etc • They also aim to protect the world's cultural and natural heritage (World Heritage Sites)

3. World Heritage Sites • A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place (such as a forest, mountain, lake, island, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. • There are a total of 1,073 World Heritage Sites • Of these, 832 are cultural, 206 are natural and 35 are mixed properties. • Italy is home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites with 49 sites, followed by China (45) and Spain (44).

4. Criteria for Being a World Heritage Site • There are 10 criteria, some Cultural and some Natural • Nominated sites must be of "outstanding universal value" and meet at least one of the ten criteria. • Examples of criteria: • Is a masterpiece of human creative genius • Is a unique or exceptional testimony to a tradition or to a civilization • It contains natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance • It is an outstanding example representing major stages of Earth's history • It contains very important and significant natural habitats for conservation of biological diversity

5. UNESCO’s First Mission • Two ancient temples in Egypt were moved out of the way of the flooding Nile River • Abu Simbel was built 3,000 years ago • The new dam would flood the site, so UNESCO planned to move the monuments completely away from the river — 65 meters higher and 200 meters back • The delicate work began in 1964. Using tools ranging from handsaws to bulldozers, the statues and the temples were carved into 20-ton blocks which were put back together on the new site. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur-H7dP8FNc, 2:58

7. The 7 Wonders of the World

8. More Than Just One List • People have made many versions of this list. Sometimes they focus on natural wonders, others they focus on man-made wonders. • Countries or regions can make their own lists. • There is even an underwater wonder list.

9. The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World

10. The Pyramids • The Pyramids in Egypt are the only ancient wonders still standing • Built 2584–2561 BC

11. Hanging Gardens of Babylon • Built around 600 BC • Destroyed by earthquakes • Huge building filled with gardens built by a king for his queen • Located in Babylon, which is now Iraq

12. Statue of Zeus at Olympia • Built around 466–456 BC in Greece • Destroyed by fire • It was a large statue of the god Zeus, made of gold and ivory

13. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus • Built around 550 BC in what is now Turkey • Destroyed by fire and plundering • It was a temple built for the Greek goddess Artemis

14. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus • Built in 351 BC in Turkey • Destroyed by earthquakes • It was a great tomb built for the wife of a king

15. Colossus of Rhodes • Built 280-292 BC in Greece • Destroyed by earthquakes • Was a 100 foot tall statue in the harbour of the city

16. Lighthouse of Alexandria • Built in 280 BC in Egypt • Destroyed by earthquakes • Was around 400 feet tall; was the tallest building on Earth for centuries

17. The 7 Wonders of the Medieval Ages • Stonehenge • Coliseum • Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa • Great Wall of China • Porcelain Tower of Nanjing • Hagia Sophia • Leaning Tower of Pisa

18. The New 7 Wonders of the World

19. 7 New Wonders of the World • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeIQI7jdM2k

20. 1. The Great Wall of China • To protect them from the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe. • The entire wall with all of its branches measure out to be 21,196 km • Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BCE • The majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)

21. 2. Petra - Jordan • A historical and archaeological city • The city is famous for its rock-cut architecture • Another name for Petra is the Rose City due to the color of the stone out of which it is carved. • Established possibly as early as 312 BC as the capital city of the Arab Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction

22. 3. Christ the Redeemer - Brazil • The statue is 98 ft tall, on a 26 ft pedestal, and its arms stretch 92 ft wide. • It is approximately two-thirds the height of the Statue of Liberty's height • The statue is located at the peak of the 2,300 ft Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro

23. 4. Machu Picchu - Peru • A 15th-century Incan town situated on a mountain ridge • The Incas built the estate around 1450 • They abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest • Although known locally, it remained unknown to the outside world until an American historian “rediscovered” it in 1911

24. 5. Chichen Itza -Mexico • A large pre-Columbian city built by the Mayan people • Built around 750-900 AD on the Yucatan peninsula • It was built close to two large natural sink holes that would have provided water throughout the year as there were no rivers or streams passing through this area. • One of the sink holes was thought to have been used for human sacrifice in times of droughts

25. 6. Colosseum – Italy • The largest ampitheatre ever built • In Rome, Italy • Built 72-90 AD • It could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators • It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology

26. 7. Taj Mahal – India • An ivory-white marble mausoleum in the city of Agra. • It was commissioned in 1632 by the emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, MumtazMahal. • The walls are inlaid with semi-precious stones • Because of the Muslim practice of no humans/animals being portrayed, the art is all calligraphy and beautiful patterns

27. The 7 Natural Wonders of the World

28. 1. The Grand Canyon - USA • A steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the state of Arizona • 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile • For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans, who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. • The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon a holy site, and made pilgrimages to it

29. 2. The Great Barrier Reef - Australia • The world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands • A problem now is mass coral bleaching caused by climate change • Incredibly diverse wildlife • 30 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises • More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef • Six species of sea turtles

30. 3. Harbor of Rio de Janeiro - Brazil • When the first European explorers came here, the bay they found was spectacularly surrounded by huge, oddly-shaped mountains • Taking a cue from the date on which they'd found this amazing harbor, they named it the "January River," or Rio de Janeiro.

31. 4. Mt Everest – the Himalayas • Earth's highest mountain • Its peak is 29,029 ft above sea level • The international border between China (Tibet Autonomous Region) and Nepal runs across Everest's precise summit point • As of 2016, there are well over 200 corpses still on the mountain, with some of them even serving as landmarks

32. 5. Aurora – polar regions • A natural light display in the sky, predominantly seen in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions. • Auroras are produced when the magnetosphere is disturbed by the solar wind • The result emits light of varying colour and complexity

33. 6. Paricutin Volcano - Mexico • A volcano located 322 km west of Mexico City. • The volcano surged suddenly from the cornfield ofa local farmer in 1943, attracting both popular and scientific attention • This eruption presented the first occasion for modern science to document the full life cycle of an eruption

34. 7. Victoria Falls - Zimbabwe • A waterfall in southern Africa on the Zambezi River at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. • While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls is classified as the largest, based on its combined width and height, resulting in the world's largest sheet of falling water. • Victoria Falls is roughly twice the height of North America's Niagara Falls and well over twice the width of its Horseshoe Falls.

35. 7 Wonders of the Underwater World • Palau • Belize Barrier Reef • Great Barrier Reef • Deep-Sea Vents • Galápagos Islands • Lake Baikal • Northern Red Sea

36. 7 Wonders of Canada

37. 1. The Sleeping Giant – Thunder Bay • A landform on Sibley Peninsula which resembles a giant lying on its back • One Ojibway legend identifies the giant as Nanabijou, who was turned to stone when the secret location of a rich silver mine was disclosed to white men

38. 2. Niagara Falls - Ontario • The collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Ontario and New York • The Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls • Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario

39. 3. Bay of Fundy – East coast • A bay between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Maine • It has the highest tidal range in the world • The famous Hopewell Rocks are very popular with tourists

40. 4. Nahanni National Park – Northwest Territories • A beautiful park filled with canyons and rivers such as the South Nahanni river • There are hot springs • It is located in 3 different ecozones

41. 5. Northern Lights – northern Canada

42. 6. The Rockies – Western Canada • Mt Robson is the highest mountain at 12,972 feet • It is the northern portion of the North American Rockies

43. 7. Cabot Trail – Nova Scotia • A highway and scenic roadway in northern Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada • It is named after the explorer John Cabot who landed in Atlantic Canada in 1497, although most historians agree his landfall likely took place in Newfoundland and not Cape Breton Island

44. Now you do the research… • http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ You can browse through all of the UNESCO sites by country • Choose a famous UNESCO site and create a poster about it • Where is it? When and why was it built? By whom? • What is so special about it? • What is one of the UNESCO criteria that it fits? • Old City of Jerusalem • Statue of Liberty • Galapagos Islands • Loire valley • Fraser Island, Australia • Rideau Canal • Hiroshima Peace Memorial • CidadeVelha • Temple of Apollo • Mount Wuyi