Today, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, has a whopping total of 1,007 World Heritage Sites on its official list.
Places that receive the iconic UNESCO seal are chosen based on their cultural significance, their standing as a natural wonder, or both.
From the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, Turkey, made entirely from volcanic erosions, to Africa's Namib Sand Sea, the world's only coastal desert, here are 20 breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Sites from around the world.
Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia is a volcanic landscape created entirely from erosion that eventually formed mountain ridges, valleys, and pinnacles nicknamed “fairy chimneys” across Cappadocia, Turkey.
Learn more about Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia.
Not only is Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park one of southeast Europe's oldest parks, it is also Croatia's largest, with 16 interlinked lakes located between Mala Kapela Mountain and Pljesevica Mountain. The lakes are surrounded by lush forests and waterfalls, whose waters have deposited travertine limestone barriers for years to create the natural dams.
Learn more about Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Canaima National Park, located in southeastern Venezuela along the borders of Guyana and Brazil, has a stunning landscape of tabletop mountain formations known as tepuis. It is also home to the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls, whose highest point reaches a staggering 3,212 feet, or 979 meters.
Learn more about Canaima National Park.
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