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EXPLORE: 19 new locations have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage sites
There are thousands of beautiful travel destinations in the world, but they have to be really special to be considered a “World Heritage site”.
The UNESCO site says an area must be of “outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria” to be included on the list.
Protected sites must be of cultural, historical or natural significance to make the cut.
This year 19 awe-inspiring locations have been added, meaning there are now 1,092 World Heritage sites in 167 countries around the world.
From the Al-Ahsa Oasis in Saudi Arabia to the Ancient City of Qalhat in Oman, here are the 19 new World Heritage sites for 2018:
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Getty The Ultimate Travel Bucket List
1. Aasivissuit – Nipisat in Denmark
2. Al-Ahsa Oasis in Saudi Arabia
3. Ancient City of Qalhat, Oman
4. Archaeological Border complex of Hedeby and the Danevirke, Germany
5. Caliphate City of Medina Azahara, Spain
6. Göbekli Tepe, Turkey
7. Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region, Japan
8. Ivrea, Italy
9. Naumburg Cathedral, Germany
10. Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries, Republic of Korea
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HISTORICAL: The Naumburg Cathedral in Germany dates back to the 13th century
11. Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region, IranWorld Heritage site
12. Thimlich Ohinga Archaeological Site, Kenya
13. Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai, India
14. Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains, South Africa
15. Chaine des Puys – Limagne fault tectonic arena, France
16. Fanjingshan, China
17. Chiribiquete National Park – “The Maloca of the Jaguar”, Colombia
18. Pimachiowin Aki, Canada
19. Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: original habitat of Mesoamerica, Mexico
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NATURE: The Chaine des Puys in France is an amazing area of natural beauty
If you fancy visiting some of the new World Heritage sites, here are five amazing sites that are just a few hours flight from London.
1. France: Chaine des Puys – Limagne fault tectonic arena
The Chaîne des Puys is a north-south oriented chain of cinder cones, lava domes and maars in the Massif Central of France.
It is a segment of the West European Rift created in the aftermath of the formation the Alps 35 million years ago.
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BEAUTIFUL: Medina Azahara is the ruins of a Arab Muslim medieval palace-city
2. Spain: Caliphate City of Medina Azahara
Medina Azahara is the ruins of a vast, fortified Arab Muslim medieval palace-city built in 912–961.
It is located on the western outskirts of Córdoba, Spain, and includes ceremonial reception halls, mosques, gardens, barracks, residences and baths.
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© TripAdvisor Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean
3. Italy: Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century
The industrial city of Ivrea is located in the Piedmont region and developed as the testing ground for Olivetti, manufacturer of typewriters, mechanical calculators and office computers.
Designed by leading Italian urban planners and architects, mostly between 1930 and the 1960s, it comprises a large factory and outbuildings.
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DRAMATIC: The Chiribiquete National Park in Colombia is an area of outstanding natural beauty
4. Germany: Naumburg Cathedral
Naumburg Cathedral, located in Naumburg, Germany, is the former cathedral of the Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz.
The church building, most of which dates back to the 13th century, is a renowned landmark of the German late Romanesque.
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ANCIENT: Göbekli Tepe is an archaeological site in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey
5. Turkey: Göbekli Tepe
Göbekli Tepe is an archaeological site in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, approximately 12 km (7 mi) northeast of the city of Şanlıurfa.
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