There are 911 World Heritage Sites worldwide, every one of them unique and amazing, with an outstanding cultural and natural heritage. From the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu to the Great Wall of China and the holy city of the Vatican, they all receive thousands of visitors each year.
This top ten includes only a small fraction of all UNESCO sites worldwide, but they are some of the most representative.
Stonehenge
via Felisa Tan
This prehistoric monument is one of the most famous sites in the world. Archaeologists believe that Britain’s most significant national icon was built anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC.
Jerusalem
Inhabited since 2800 BC, Jerusalem is a unique place and a holy city.
The Pyramids of Giza and The Sphinx
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Built around 4500 years ago, these pyramids are the most famous monuments of ancient Egypt.
Vatican City
via theultralinx.com
This small slice of the city is packed with more history and artwork than most cities in the world.
Easter Island
via Caroline Little
This Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean is one of the most isolated places on Earth, showing a fascinating, but unfortunately lost, culture with a truly unique landscape.
Tikal
via Lee Sie
One of the most fascinating and enjoyable of the Mayan sites and a World Heritage Site since 1979.
Machu Picchu
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8,000 ft above sea level on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru is known as “The Lost City of the Incas.”
Chichen Itza
It is the largest of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization’s archaeological cities in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and was recently selected as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Angkor Wat
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Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia and contains the magnificent remains of the Khmer Empire’s different capitals, from the 9th to the 15th century.
Great Wall of China
The wall’s purpose was to protect the Chinese Empire’s northern borders from Xiongnu attacks during the rule of successive dynasties. With all of its branches, the entire Great Wall stretches for 5,500.3 miles from east to west of China.
