The new World Heritage sites 2013 in pictures
Finally are 19 the candidatures that have managed to join this year the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites, after the session celebrated in Cambodia. Among them, 5 are considered natural sites and 14 are designated cultural places. In addition, three properties have been registered as extensions of sites already listed previously as World Heritage.
There are another 10 finalist sites that have been left out or have to wait for another chance to join the most prestigious club of wonders of universal value, an inventory that already has nearly a thousand properties. 981 in total.
Update: You can also review the places that achieved the UNESCO recognition in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Xinjiang Tianshan (China): An extensive and wild mountain range with spectacular and unique landscapes to be discovered. Image lwtt93
Mount Etna (Italy): The historic Sicilian volcano is a source of knowledge for scientists to understand how these giants of fire work. Image Gnuckx
Namib Sand Sea (Namibia): One of the most beautiful African landscapes could not miss in the list.
Image Ángel Hernansáez
Mount Kenya - Lewa Wildlife conservancy: This is an extension of Mount Kenya National Park.
Image Kathryn Hansen
El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve (Mexico): A strange place to find endemic life forms, shifting dunes and ten giant craters, almost perfectly round. Image NASA
Tajik National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs) (Tajikistan): 400 lakes and gigantic glaciers in the unknown Central Asian republic. Image Llee Wu
Maloti Drakensberg Tranboundary World Heritage Site (Lesotho): Extending within the borders of the tiny nation the Drakensberg - uKhahlamba South African park, already in the list since 2000. Image (H)Foto-gràfic
Red Bay Basque Whaling Station (Canada): The Basques were whaling off the coast of Labrador since the sixteenth century. Image Northern Light
Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces (China): Mosaics of water reflecting dramatic scenery in the province of Yunnan. Image Feng Zhong
Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong (North Korea): The remains of what was one of the first capitals of Korea. Image John Pavelka
Levuka Historical Port Town (Fiji): One of the first colonial settlements in the archipelago, that led to a curious mixture of European and Melanesian styles. Image Merbabu
Water features and Hercules within the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe (Germany): A huge Baroque water park from the late seventeenth century in Kassel. Image !Koss
Hill Forts of Rajasthan (India): A group of six stunning city-fortresses of great architectural and cultural value.
Image Garrett Ziegler
Golestan Palace (Iran): The glittery royal palace of the historic citadel of Tehran.
Image Mohammadali
Medici Villas and Gardens (Italy): The great sponsors of the Renaissance, swelling the ranks of the country with more wonders officially recognized. Image Giuseppe Moscato
Fujisan (Japan): The legendary volcano that has inspired so much artwork.
Image Weesam2010
Historic Centre of Agadez (Niger): The Tuareg city has been for centuries an important crossroads of the caravan trade across the Sahara. Image Andrew Barker
Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines (Poland) This is an extension of the Mines of Wieliczka near Krakow, a World Heritage Site since 1978. Image Andrzej O
Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region (Poland and Ukraine): 16 original churches with a design of Greek-Orthodox inspiration. You can find them all clicking here. Image Hejma
Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora (Ukraine): A 25 centuries old Greek settlement (and everything that came later) in the Crimean peninsula. Image Dmitry A. Mottl
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site (Qatar): A strategic meeting point on the ancient trade routes of the Persian Gulf.
Image Aurel Cuvin
University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia (Portugal): One of the oldest universities in the world with a unique architectural ensemble. Image Francisco Antunes
For further information, we recommend the updated volumes World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide and The UNESCO World Heritage: Monuments of Humankind - Wonders of Nature , both covering all the 1,031 sites registered until 2015.
Also there is available the much less exhaustive book Destinations of a Lifetime: 225 of the World's Most Amazing Places . This high quality work from National Geographic has superlative reviews and it can be the perfect saviour when you don't know what to give as a present :)