As part of the 46^th session of the World Heritage Committee, 24 additions were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, now featuring 1,223 sites across 168 countries and states.

What new sites were added?

Explore the newly designated Nelson Mandela Legacy sites in South Africa, all representing the legacy of the South African struggle for human rights, liberation and reconciliation. Union Buildings (Pretoria), now the official seat of government; the Sharpeville Sites, commemorating the massacre of 69 people protesting the unjust Pass Laws; and Great Place at Mqhekezweni, a site symbolic of traditional leadership where Mandela lived as a young man, are all included in this designated site.

In India, the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty, in the foothills of the Patkai Ranges in eastern Assam, is home to the royal necropolis of the Tai-Ahom. For 600 years, this site has formed a sacred geography through burial mounds accentuating the topography of hills, forests and water. Burials contain the remains of kings and other royals, as well as grave goods.

The Flow Country in the Highland Region of Scotland also joins the list, comprised of a peatland ecosystem accumulating for the last 9,000 years. Peatlands play a pivotal role in storing carbon and this site is considered one of the best examples of an actively accumulating blanket bog landscape.

Visit the frontiers of the Roman Empire at Dacia in Romania. The Romanian segment of the Roman Empire, the Dacian Limes, operated from 106 to 271 A.D. This site spans 277 components and parts representing the longest and most complex land border of a former Roman province in Europe. The border is defined by a network of sites including legionary fortresses, auxiliary forts, earthen ramparts, watch towers, temporary camps and secular buildings.

Situated in the Upper Awash Valley in Ethiopia, Melka Kunture and Balchit is a cluster of prehistoric sites preserving archaeological and paleontological records — including footprints — that testify to the area’s occupation by the hominin groups from 2 million years ago. Sitting more than 2,000 meters above sea level, this site has yielded Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis and archaic Homo sapiens fossils.

Japan’s Sado Gold Mines is also now an official UNESCO World Heritage site. Located on Sado Island, this serial property is formed of several component parts illustrative of different unmechanized mining methods. Gold and silver deposits were formed in this region because of the island’s hydrothermal water rising to the surface. Attributes reflecting mining activities and social and labor organization are preserved as archaeological elements both above and below ground.

Schwerin Residence Ensemble in northeast Germany comprises 28 elements, including the Grand Duke’s Residence Palace and manor houses, cultural and sacred buildings, and the Pfaffenteich ornamental lakes. Created mostly in the 19^th century, this site showcases exceptional examples of neo-Renaissance, neo-Baroque, neo-Classical and Italian Renaissance influences.

Other new sites added include:

• Brâncuși Monumental Ensemble of Târgu Jiu, Romania
• Phu Prabat of the Dvaravati Period, Thailand
• Royal Court of Tiébélé, Burkina Faso
• Saint Hilarion Monastery/Tell Umm Amer, Palestine
• The Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex, Malaysia
• Beijing Central Axis, China
• The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area, Saudi Arabia
• Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa, South Africa
• Historic Town and Archaeological Site of Gedi, Kenya
• Hegmataneh, Iran
• Umma Al-Jimāl, Jordan
• Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands
• Via Appia, Regina Viarum, Italy
• Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
• Vjetrnica Cave, Ravno, Bosnia and Herzegovina

How many UNESCO World Heritage sites have you been to? What was your favorite? What UNESCO Heritage site do you wish to visit? What sites do you think should be designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites? Tell us your thoughts. Email us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com. Please include your full name and location.