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Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Le Morne Cultural Landscape - Mauritius

Le Morne Cultural Landscape, a rugged mountain that juts into the Indian Ocean in the southwest of Mauritius was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries. 
Protected by the mountain’s isolated, wooded and almost inaccessible cliffs, the escaped slaves formed small settlements in the caves and on the summit of Le Morne. 
The oral traditions associated with the maroons, have made Le Morne a symbol of the slaves’ fight for freedom, their suffering, and their sacrifice, all of which have relevance to the countries from which the slaves came - the African mainland, Madagascar, India, and South-east Asia. Indeed, Mauritius, an important stopover in the eastern slave trade, also came to be known as the “Maroon republic” because of the large number of escaped slaves who lived on Le Morne Mountain.








Zebu

The zebu or humpback whale is a mammal of the bovid family that is mainly kept in areas with a tropical and subtropical climate in South Asia and Africa. 
The scientific name of this bovine was published as Bos indicus in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. 








Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Lagoons of New Caledonia - France

This serial site comprises six marine clusters that represent the main diversity of coral reefs and associated ecosystems in the French Pacific Ocean archipelago of New Caledonia and one of the three most extensive reef systems in the world. 
These Lagoons are of exceptional natural beauty. 
They feature an exceptional diversity of coral and fish species and a continuum of habitats from mangroves to seagrasses with the world’s most diverse concentration of reef structures. 
The Lagoons of New Caledonia display intact ecosystems, with healthy populations of large predators, and a great number and diversity of big fish. 
They provide habitat to a number of emblematic or threatened marine species such as turtles, whales or dugongs whose population here is the third largest in the world.








Kumamoto

Kumamoto Prefecture is a Japanese prefecture located on the island of Kyushu. 
The capital is Kumamoto.








Sunday, August 27, 2023

Joggins Fossil Cliffs - Canada

The Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a 689 ha palaeontological site along the coast of Nova Scotia (eastern Canada), have been described as the “coal age Galápagos” due to their wealth of fossils from the Carboniferous period (354 to 290 million years ago). 
The rocks of this site are considered to be iconic for this period of the history of Earth and are the world’s thickest and most comprehensive record of the Pennsylvanian strata (dating back 318 to 303 million years) with the most complete known fossil record of terrestrial life from that time. 
These include the remains and tracks of very early animals and the rainforest in which they lived, left in situ, intact and undisturbed. 
With its 14.7 km of sea cliffs, low bluffs, rock platforms and beach, the site groups remains of three ecosystems: estuarine bay, floodplain rainforest and fire prone forested alluvial plain with freshwater pools. 
It offers the richest assemblage known of the fossil life in these three ecosystems with 96 genera and 148 species of fossils and 20 footprint groups. 
The site is listed as containing outstanding examples representing major stages in the history of Earth.








Trentino-South Tyrol

Trentino-South Tyrol is an autonomous region in the north of Italy. 
The capital of Trentino-South Tyrol is Trent. 
Trentino-South Tyrol is divided into two provinces: Trent and South Tyrol.








Saturday, August 26, 2023

Historic Centre of Camagüey - Cuba

One of the first seven villages founded by the Spaniards in Cuba, Camagüey played a prominent role as the urban centre of an inland territory dedicated to cattle breeding and the sugar industry. 
Settled in its current location in 1528, the town developed on the basis of an irregular urban pattern that contains a system of large and minor squares, serpentine streets, alleys and irregular urban blocks, highly exceptional for Latin American colonial towns located in plain territories. 
The 54 ha Historic Centre of Camagüey constitutes an exceptional example of a traditional urban settlement relatively isolated from main trade routes. 
The Spanish colonizers followed medieval European influences in terms of urban layout and traditional construction techniques brought to the Americas by their masons and construction masters. 
The property reflects the influence of numerous styles through the ages: neoclassical, eclectic, Art Deco, Neo-colonial as well as some Art Nouveau and rationalism.








North Sulawesi

North Sulawesi, formerly known as North Celebes, is a province of Indonesia. 
It is located on the island of Sulawesi and only borders Gorontalo province, which was separated from North Sulawesi province in December 2000.








Thursday, August 24, 2023

Hegra Archaeological Site (al-Hijr/Madā in Ṣāliḥ) - Saudi Arabia

The Hegra Archaeological Site is the first World Heritage property to be inscribed in Saudi Arabia. Formerly known as Hegra it is the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan. 
It features well-preserved monumental tombs with decorated facades dating from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD. 
The site also features some 50 inscriptions of the pre-Nabataean period and some cave drawings. 
Al-Hijr bears a unique testimony to Nabataean civilization. 
With its 111 monumental tombs, 94 of which are decorated, and water wells, the site is an outstanding example of the Nabataeans’ architectural accomplishment and hydraulic expertise.








Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is a state of India located in the southeastern corner of the country. 
The state has more than 72 million inhabitants, mainly Tamils. 
The capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu is Chennai.