The world's tallest trees - Redwood National and State Parks 134 Redwood National and State Parks What and Why The Redwood National and State Park is a park in the North California famous of its groves of huge trees. I n fact, Redwood is known as the home to the tallest trees on Earth, some of them more 100 m tall and have lived for more than a thousand years. These trees, mainly sequoia or redwood, are the tallest, largest and oldest, and one of the most massive tree sp

An desert oasis blossoming rich civilisations and cultural heritages - Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas) 1343; Majlis, a cultural and social space 01076; Date palm, knowledge, skills, traditions and practices 01509; Al Aflaj, traditional irrigation network system in the UAE, oral traditions, knowledge and skills of construction, maintenance and equitable water distribution 01577; Falconry, a living human heritage 01708; Arabic calligraphy

Hanseatic dockyards standing for more than a thousand years - Bryggen 59; Oselvar boat - reframing a traditional learning process of building and use to a modern context 01156; Nordic clinker boat traditions 01686 Bryggen 1 What and Why Bergen , a coastal city in Norway ( Norwegian : Norge ) , was the main commercial hub of the Hanseatic League (German: Hanse ) during the 13th to 17th century The Hanseatic League started as a mediaeval commercial confederation of guilds an

Iconic fjords, massive waterfalls, canyon valleys and impressive railway - West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord 1195; Craft techniques and customary practices of cathedral workshops, or Bauhütten, in Europe, know-how, transmission, development of knowledge and innovation 01558; Nordic clinker boat traditions 01686 Nærøyfjord What and Why The scenic and narrow Nærøyfjord , a branch of the large Sognefjord , is 18-km fjord is often cited as one of the most bea

One of the earliest cultural boulevards of Europe - Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences 1618; Mediterranean diet 00884 Plaza de Cibeles What and Why The Paseo del Prado is the main north-south axis of Madrid , and is characterised by a densely tree-lined boulevard. The boulevard is the main tourist landmark for the city residents with a few world-class museums along the way: the Prado Museum ( Spanish : Museo Nacional del Prado ) , the Thyssen-

A ‘nice’ touristy riviera city - Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera 1635; The skills related to perfume in Pays de Grasse: the cultivation of perfume plants, the knowledge and processing of natural raw materials, and the art of perfume composition 01207 English Promenade during the evening What and Why Nice , with its mild Mediterranean climate became a magnet of the European upper classes and royal family members during the 18th century, especially for the English and R

Stunning karst above and underground - Gunung Mulu National Park 1013; Songket 01505 My wife reaching the Pinnacles What and Why The Gunung Mulu National Park ( Malay : Taman Negara Mulu ) is a national park famous for two things: the extensive and massive underground cave networks and the amazing sharp-bladed limestone karst formation on the slope of a mountain rainforest. One of the most famous of these caves is actually the world's largest cave, the 12 million m³ Saraw

Protected native area and ecosystems across two countries - Waterton Glacier International Peace Park 354 Waterton Glacier International Peace Park What and Why Glacier National Park is a national park located at the northern border of America renowned for its extensive ecosystems: both in terms of animal and plants and hence it is often referred to as the ' Crown of the Continent Ecosystem '. Together with the Waterton Lakes Park of Canada , it forms the Waterton-Glacier

National park with three distinctive climates - Olympic National Park 151 Olympic National Park What and Why Olympic National Park is a national forest distinctive in a number of ways: It is a relative small area but within the park there are three or four distinct ecosystems , including subalpine forest , temperate forest , glaciated mountains , and the rugged Pacific coast. As a result it offers a diversity of distinct endemism and plant species that varies within the pa

Historic residence of the King of Spain - Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid 318 El Escorial What and Why El Escorial is a massive and elegant Spanish royal sites ( Spanish : reales sitios ) and functioned as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school and hospital throughout its time. Commissioned by Philip II ( Felipe II , né Felipe de Habsburg ) with the intention of demonstrating the power of Spain's ( España ) monarchy

Alms-giving during sunrise - Town of Luang Prabang 479; Khaen music of the Lao people 01296; Traditional craft of Naga motif weaving in Lao communities 01973 Alms-giving at Luang Prabang What and Why Located in the confluence of Mekong River (ແມ່ນ້ຳຂອງ, Maenam Khong ) , Luang Prabang ( Lao : ຫລວງພະບາງ, Louangphabang ) is a remarkable city, so isolated from the outside world that it still possesses extremely well preserved architectural, religious and cultural heritages. In

Two-route Mannerist pilgrimage park that gives its visitors an air of serenity - Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: the Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex and Pilgrimage Park 905 Basilica of Saint Mary What and Why Kalwaria Zebrzydowska park ( Polish : Sanktuarium pasyjno-maryjne w Kalwarii Zebrzydowskiej ) is a beautiful and serene Mannerist , or late Renaissance , architectural and park landscape complex and pilgrimage park, built in the 17th century as the Counter Refo

Culturally rich Orthodox monastery near the Bulgarian border - Rila Monastery 216 Rila monastery What and Why The Rila monastery ( Bulgarian : Рилски манастир, Rilski manastir ) is one of the greatest monasteries built in Bulgaria (България, Bŭlgariya ) or possibly in the Balkans , and is regarded a s one of the most significant cultural, historical, and spiritual landmarks of the country . The Eastern Orthodox monastery is founded as early as the 10th century and is cont

Mediaeval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery in a conflict epicentre - Medieval Monuments in Kosovo 724 Visoki Dečani What and Why Visoki Dečani Monastery ( Albanian : Manastiri i Deçanit ) is one of the four mediaeval Serbian Orthodox Christian monasteries in the disputed state of Kosovo ( Kosova ) . The famous historic monastery is commissioned by the King of Serbia (Serbian: Србија, Srbij a ) Stefan Dečanski (Serbian: Стефан Дечански, né Стефан Немањић, Stefan Nema

Venetian fortified town deep in the Mediterranean sea cliff - Natural and Culture-Historical Region of Kotor 125; Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra - Western State Da Mar 1533 Fortification of Kotor What and Why Kotor ( Montenegrin : Котор) is a beautifully landscaped historic fortification built largely by the Republic of Venice (Venetian: Venèçia ) around the Mediterranean inner bay, between the rugged mountains and the serene w

The Pearl of Adriatic as if a page from Games of Thrones - Old City of Dubrovnik 95; Festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of Dubrovnik 00232; Art of dry stone construction, knowledge and techniques 02106 Dubrovnik What and Why Dubrovnik , known as the ' Pearl of the Adriatic ' by George Byron , is a city that comes out of the page of the mediaeval fantasy stories with the city being beautifully planned and constructed with brown marbles and limestones. The history of the ci

Resort island formed by molten lava - Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes 1264; Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (women divers) 01068 Ilchulbong (from internet) What and Why Jeju City ( Korean : 제주시, Jejusi ) is located on the island province Jeju ( 제주 ) , which the island was formed as a result of massive volcano eruptions. The island is famous for its various geological and volcanic formations, mainly responsible by the main volcano Hallasan ( 한라산 ) . Jeju is scientifically valua

Indentured labour gateway - Aapravasi Ghat 1227; Bhojpuri folk songs in Mauritius, Geet-Gawai 01178 Aapravasi Ghat What and Why The Aapravasi Ghat is another iconic representation of forced labour and slavery in Africa during the colonial times. During the period from mid-19th to early 20th century, Mauritius was a centre for i ndentured , or contracted, labour workforce from many countries due to its extensive requirement for labours in the sugar-cane plantations, manage

A rock that has become a testimony to resistance to slavery - Le Morne Cultural Landscape 1259; Traditional Mauritian Sega 01003 Le Morne Brabant viewed from the sea What and Why Le Morne is the peninsular area at the Southwestern tip of Mauritius , highlighted by a huge and steep 556-m basaltic monolith called Le Morne Brabant . The peninsula is a representation of the history of slavery and its ultimate resistance. The peninsula was a major refuge or hiding place for Mar

Largest icefield in North America - Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks 304 Columbia Icefield What and Why The largest of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks , Jasper National Park is famous for its spectacular ice fields scattered around spectacularly scenic mountains, gorges, waterfalls and lakes. Jasper’s landscapes emphasise scale and remoteness. Massive mountain ranges, extensive forests, and large river systems create habitats for wildlife and opportunities for outdoor expl