Carlsbad Caverns National Park

This karst landscape in the state of New Mexico comprises over 80 recognized caves. They are outstanding not only for their size but also for the profusion, diversity and beauty of their mineral formations. Lechuguilla Cave stands out from the others, providing an underground laboratory where geological and biological processes can be studied in a pristine setting.

 United States of America

Eddy County, State of New Mexico

N32 10 0 W104 22 60

Date of Inscription: 1995

Criteria: (vii)(viii)

Property : 18,926 ha

Ref: 721

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Olympic National Park

Located in the north-west of Washington State, Olympic National Park is renowned for the diversity of its ecosystems. Glacier-clad peaks interspersed with extensive alpine meadows are surrounded by an extensive old growth forest, among which is the best example of intact and protected temperate rainforest in the Pacific Northwest. Eleven major river systems drain the Olympic mountains, offering some of the best habitat for anadromous fish species in the country. The park also includes 100 km of wilderness coastline, the longest undeveloped coast in the contiguous United States, and is rich in native and endemic animal and plant species, including critical populations of the endangered northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and bull trout.

 United States of America

State of Washington

N47 44 54 W123 26 56

Date of Inscription: 1981

Criteria: (vii)(ix)

Ref: 151

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Taos Pueblo

Situated in the valley of a small tributary of the Rio Grande, this adobe settlement – consisting of dwellings and ceremonial buildings – represents the culture of the Pueblo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico.

 United States of America

New Mexico

N36 26 20.004 W105 32 30.012

Date of Inscription: 1992

Criteria: (iv)

Property : 19.01 ha

Ref: 492rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point

Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point

Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point owes its name to a 19th-century plantation close to the site, which is in the Lower Mississippi Valley on a slightly elevated and narrow landform. The complex comprises five mounds, six concentric semi-elliptical ridges separated by shallow depressions and a central plaza. It was created and used for residential and ceremonial purposes by a society of hunter fisher-gatherers between 3700 and 3100 BP. It is a remarkable achievement in earthen construction in North America that was unsurpassed for at least 2,000 years.

 United States of America

N32 38 13 W91 24 23

Date of Inscription: 2014

Criteria: (iii)

Property : 163 ha

Ref: 1435

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park

A great concentration of ancestral Pueblo Indian dwellings, built from the 6th to the 12th century, can be found on the Mesa Verde plateau in south-west Colorado at an altitude of more than 2,600 m. Some 4,400 sites have been recorded, including villages built on the Mesa top. There are also imposing cliff dwellings, built of stone and comprising more than 100 rooms.

 United States of America

Colorado

N37 15 42 W108 29 8

Date of Inscription: 1978

Criteria: (iii)

Property : 21,043 ha

Ref: 27

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Papahānaumokuākea

Papahānaumokuākea

Papahānaumokuākea is a vast and isolated linear cluster of small, low lying islands and atolls, with their surrounding ocean, roughly 250 km to the northwest of the main Hawaiian Archipelago and extending over some 1931 km. The area has deep cosmological and traditional significance for living Native Hawaiian culture, as an ancestral environment, as an embodiment of the Hawaiian concept of kinship between people and the natural world, and as the place where it is believed that life originates and to where the spirits return after death. On two of the islands, Nihoa and Makumanamana, there are archaeological remains relating to pre-European settlement and use. Much of the monument is made up of pelagic and deepwater habitats, with notable features such as seamounts and submerged banks, extensive coral reefs and lagoons. It is one of the largest marine protected areas (MPAs) in the world.

 United States of America

N25 20 56.652 W170 8 44.952

Date of Inscription: 2010

Criteria: (iii)(vi)(viii)(ix)(x)

Property : 36,207,499 ha

Ref: 1326

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park lies in the heart of California. With its 'hanging' valleys, many waterfalls, cirque lakes, polished domes, moraines and U-shaped valleys, it provides an excellent overview of all kinds of granite relief fashioned by glaciation. At 600–4,000 m, a great variety of flora and fauna can also be found here.

 United States of America

California

N37 44 46 W119 35 48

Date of Inscription: 1984

Criteria: (vii)(viii)

Property : 308,283 ha 

Ref: 308

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

San Antonio Missions

San Antonio Missions

The site encompasses a group of five frontier mission complexes situated along a stretch of the San Antonio River basin in southern Texas, as well as a ranch located 37 kilometres to the south. It includes architectural and archaeological structures, farmlands, residencies, churches and granaries, as well as water distribution systems. The complexes were built by Franciscan missionaries in the 18th century and illustrate the Spanish Crown’s efforts to colonize, evangelize and defend the northern frontier of New Spain. The San Antonio Missions are also an example of the interweaving of Spanish and Coahuiltecan cultures, illustrated by a variety of features, including the decorative elements of churches, which combine Catholic symbols with indigenous designs inspired by nature.

• Misión Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña
• Misión San Francisco de la Espada
• Misión San José y San Miguel de Aguayo
• Misión San Juan Capistrano
• Misión San Antonio de Valero

 United States of America

N29 19 41 W98 27 36

Date of Inscription: 2015

Criteria: (ii)

Property : 301 ha 

Buffer zone: 2,068 ha

Ref: 1466

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville

Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), author of the American Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States, was also a talented architect of neoclassical buildings. He designed Monticello (1769–1809), his plantation home, and his ideal 'academical village' (1817–26), which is still the heart of the University of Virginia. Jefferson's use of an architectural vocabulary based upon classical antiquity symbolizes both the aspirations of the new American republic as the inheritor of European tradition and the cultural experimentation that could be expected as the country matured.

United States of America

Virginia

N38 1 58 W78 30 14

Date of Inscription: 1987

Criteria: (i)(iv)(vi)

Ref: 442

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty

Made in Paris by the French sculptor Bartholdi, in collaboration with Gustave Eiffel (who was responsible for the steel framework), this towering monument to liberty was a gift from France on the centenary of American independence in 1886. Standing at the entrance to New York Harbour, it has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States ever since.

United States of America

New York, New York

N40 41 22 W74 2 41

Date of Inscription: 1984

Criteria: (i)(vi)

Property : 5.00 ha

Ref: 307

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Everglades National Park

Brief Description

This site at the southern tip of Florida has been called 'a river of grass flowing imperceptibly from the hinterland into the sea'. The exceptional variety of its water habitats has made it a sanctuary for a large number of birds and reptiles, as well as for threatened species such as the manatee.

United States of America

Southern tip of the Florida peninsula, along the Gulf of Mexico, State of Florida

N25 33 16 W80 59 47

Date of Inscription: 1979

Criteria: (viii)(ix)(x)

Property : 567,017 ha

Ref: 76

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Brief Description

This site contains two of the most active volcanoes in the world, Mauna Loa (4,170 m high) and Kilauea (1,250 m high), both of which tower over the Pacific Ocean. Volcanic eruptions have created a constantly changing landscape, and the lava flows reveal surprising geological formations. Rare birds and endemic species can be found there, as well as forests of giant ferns.

United States of America

Hawaii

N19 24 3 W155 7 25

Date of Inscription: 1987

Criteria: (viii)

Property : 87,940 ha

Ref: 409

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

 

Independence Hall

Brief Description

The Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution of the United States (1787) were both signed in this building in Philadelphia. The universal principles of freedom and democracy set forth in these documents are of fundamental importance to American history and have also had a profound impact on law-makers around the world.

United States of America

Philadelphia, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

N39 56 55 W75 9 0

Date of Inscription: 1979

Criteria: (vi)

Property : 2.00 ha

Ref: 78

Source:  whc.unesco.org

Grand Canyon National Park

Brief Description

Carved out by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon (nearly 1,500 m deep) is the most spectacular gorge in the world. Located in the state of Arizona, it cuts across the Grand Canyon National Park. Its horizontal strata retrace the geological history of the past 2 billion years. There are also prehistoric traces of human adaptation to a particularly harsh environment.

  United States of America
Counties of Coconino and Mohave in the State of Arizona
N36 6 3 W112 5 26
Date of Inscription: 1979
Criteria: (vii)(viii)(ix)(x)
Property : 493,270 ha
Ref: 75

Source:  http://whc.unesco.org