Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves

The Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves, in the states of Paraná and São Paulo, contain some of the best and most extensive examples of Atlantic forest in Brazil. The 25 protected areas that make up the site (some 470,000 ha in total) display the biological wealth and evolutionary history of the last remaining Atlantic forests. From mountains covered by dense forests, down to wetlands, coastal islands with isolated mountains and dunes, the area comprises a rich natural environment of great scenic beauty.

 Brazil

Atlantic coast, states of Parana and Sao Paolo

S24 10 0.012 W48 0 0

Date of Inscription: 1999

Criteria: (vii)(ix)(x)

Property : 468,193 ha

Buffer zone: 1,223,557 ha

Ref: 893rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centre of São Luís

The late 17th-century core of this historic town, founded by the French and occupied by the Dutch before coming under Portuguese rule, has preserved the original rectangular street plan in its entirety. Thanks to a period of economic stagnation in the early 20th century, an exceptional number of fine historic buildings have survived, making this an outstanding example of an Iberian colonial town.

 Brazil

Maranhão State, Brasil’s North-East Region

S2 30 51 W44 18 9

Date of Inscription: 1997

Criteria: (iii)(iv)(v)

Property : 66.65 ha

Ref: 821

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia

Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia

As the first capital of Brazil, from 1549 to 1763, Salvador de Bahia witnessed the blending of European, African and Amerindian cultures. It was also, from 1558, the first slave market in the New World, with slaves arriving to work on the sugar plantations. The city has managed to preserve many outstanding Renaissance buildings. A special feature of the old town are the brightly coloured houses, often decorated with fine stucco-work.

 Brazil

Bahia State, north-east region of Brazil

S12 58 0 W38 30 0

Date of Inscription: 1985

Criteria: (iv)(vi)

Ref: 309

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea

Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea

The site consists of an exceptional urban setting encompassing the key natural elements that have shaped and inspired the development of the city: from the highest points of the Tijuca National Park’s mountains down to the sea. They also include the Botanical Gardens, established in 1808, Corcovado Mountain with its celebrated statue of Christ, and the hills around Guanabara Bay, including the extensive designed landscapes along Copacabana Bay which have contributed to the outdoor living culture of this spectacular city. Rio de Janeiro is also recognized for the artistic inspiration it has provided to musicians, landscapers and urbanists.

Brazil

S22 56 52 W43 17 29

Date of Inscription: 2012

Criteria: (v)(vi)

Property : 7,249 ha

Buffer zone: 8,621 ha

Ref: 1100rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Town of Ouro Preto

Historic Town of Ouro Preto

Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto (Black Gold) was the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil’s golden age in the 18th century. With the exhaustion of the gold mines in the 19th century, the city’s influence declined but many churches, bridges and fountains remain as a testimony to its past prosperity and the exceptional talent of the Baroque sculptor Aleijadinho.

Brazil

State of Minas Gerais

S20 23 20 W43 30 20

Date of Inscription: 1980

Criteria: (i)(iii)

Ref: 124

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina

Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina

Diamantina, a colonial village set like a jewel in a necklace of inhospitable rocky mountains, recalls the exploits of diamond prospectors in the 18th century and testifies to the triumph of human cultural and artistic endeavour over the environment.

Brazil

State of Minas Gerais

S18 13 60 W43 36 0

Date of Inscription: 1999

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 29 ha

Ref: 890

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas

This sanctuary in Minais Gerais, south of Belo Horizonte was built in the second half of the 18th century. It consists of a church with a magnificent Rococo interior of Italian inspiration; an outdoor stairway decorated with statues of the prophets; and seven chapels illustrating the Stations of the Cross, in which the polychrome sculptures by Aleijadinho are masterpieces of a highly original, moving, expressive form of Baroque art.

 

Brazil

State of Minas Gerais, City of Congonhas

S20 29 59 W43 51 28

Date of Inscription: 1985

Criteria: (i)(iv)

Ref: 334

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Brasilia

Brasilia

Brasilia, a capital created ex nihilo in the centre of the country in 1956, was a landmark in the history of town planning. Urban planner Lucio Costa and architect Oscar Niemeyer intended that every element – from the layout of the residential and administrative districts (often compared to the shape of a bird in flight) to the symmetry of the buildings themselves – should be in harmony with the city’s overall design. The official buildings, in particular, are innovative and imaginative.

Brazil

Federal District

S15 46 59.988 W47 53 60

Date of Inscription: 1987

Criteria: (i)(iv)

Property : 11,269 ha

Ref: 445

Source: http://whc.unesco.org