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Unesco World Heritage sites: 27 new sites added to historic list

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York city centre is known for its rich history but didn't make the list this year

Which parks, areas or buildings where YOU live are worth celebrating?

Maybe it's somewhere you love to go for a walk, a castle, a museum you love to visit or a swimming pool you love to dip into - we want to hear about it!

It comes as the United Nations heritage branch, Unesco, has announced nearly 30 new sites on its list of places that are of historic and cultural value.

The World Heritage list now has over 1000 famous sites, including Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Peru's Machu Pichu, and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.

But this year, no new sites have been added from the UK. So read on to find out more and leave us a comment about the places YOU love that deserve a special mention!

What is a Unesco World Heritage Site?

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The Taj Mahal in India is an example of a site on the Unesco Heritage List

Unesco stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and is a special part of the United Nations which aims to promoting international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture.

It maintains a list of important world sites and there's a list of rules that a place should follow for it to become a World Heritage Site.

One of these, is that a place must have an interesting story that shows how important it was in history.

For example, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, US tells us a lot about the history of the Earth and how it has developed over millions of years.

Another reason a place could become a World Heritage Site is if it is exceptionally beautiful, such as the Taj Mahal in India, which is famous for its amazing architecture.

What has joined the list of Unesco World Heritage sites in 2023?

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The Talayotic prehistoric sites on the Mediterranean island of Menorca have been added to the list in 2023.

27 new sites have been added to the list for 2023.

They include ancient Roman temples in France, an island off the coast of Tunisia and an archaeological site in Cambodia.

There are no new sites in the UK, despite the government announcing in April that it was backing seven sites in their bids to be recognised, including the city of York, Little Cayman Marine Parks and Protected Areas and the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland.