In this blog, we explore the extent of the United States military presence around the world. We’ll examine which countries host the most American soldiers and military bases, and what this tells us about global military strategy.
World UNESCO Heritage sites can simply stated to be places in the world that have cultural or natural significance and should be protected and preserved due to this significance.
Some of the world’s most amazing and sought after tourist destinations are listed as UNESCO Heritage sites, locations such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Machu Picchu in Peru and Petra in Jordan are all heritage sites.
Italy currently has the most heritage listed locations, boasting the likes of the Vatican, Venice, The Colosseum and many more places. Looking at all the countries on the list, it can be clear to see the link between an increased number of heritage listed sights and higher tourism numbers in these countries. Considering the criteria, this makes sense – somewhere listed as having natural or cultural significance would tend to be something that humans want to see with their own two eyes, hence boosting tourism.
However, the process to get a site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is self directed, the countries themselves will apply to get a site listed based on the criteria mentioned above and after being assessed by the ICOMOS (International Council Of Monuments and Sites) or the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) it is then discussed by the World Heritage Committee as to whether it should be included or not. Some countries that have rich monuments or natural beauty choose not to nominate these sites, this is due to a multitude of reasons but mainly revolve around the costs to maintain and preserve these sites despite the big tourism boost they would receive.
There are currently 1,263 listed sites across 167 countries. However, despite the prestige and heritage of these locations, there have in fact been a few sites destroyed or removed from this list.
- The Bammiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan were two giant statues carved into a mountain however they were destroyed in conflict in 2001
- Palmyra in Syria, an ancient Roman city with Temples, arches and ruins, was destroyed in conflict in 2015
Many sites can be found in active conflict zones or areas of the world where the changing climate has (or will) impact its likelihood of survival – these are listed as sites in danger.
Some of which include:
- Venice (Over tourism and flooding)
- The Great Barrier Reef (Coral Bleaching due to climate change)
- Machu Picchu (Overtourism and Landslides)
The World UNESCO Heritage list boasts the beauties of the nature and culture of the world and aims to preserve these sites by having a global normalized set of standards, hopefully conflicts dial down and we take a bit more care of the environment and keep these sites as intact as possible. Hope you enjoyed.