The document discusses several UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world, including: - The Acropolis in Athens, an ancient citadel constructed in the 5th century BC that has withstood attacks over the centuries. - Angkor Wat and other monuments in Cambodia dating from the 9th to 15th centuries, including the famous Bayon Temple. - Bagan in Myanmar, containing over 2,500 Buddhist monuments from the 10th century on the Irrawaddy River. - The Galapagos Islands, described by Darwin as "a little world within itself" for its unique species.

1. Looming over the city of Athens, this ancientGrecian citadel was builtin the 5th century BC and continuallybeautified
throughoutthe years by the city's well-moneyed citizens.Despite being attacked and pillaged byeveryone from the
Byzantines, who converted the temples into churches,to the Venetians,who later shelled the area,the site still
stands to provide an importantinsightinto Greek mythology.
Scattered between the twisting roots of the Cambodian jungle,this site dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu contains
the remains ofKhmer Empire capitals dating from the 9th to the 15th centuries.Among the mostfamous ofits 100 -
strong group of monuments is the Temple ofAngkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the sculptural Bayon Temple.In
2000,Cambodian authorities allowed action flick "Tomb Raider"to be filmed atthe site on the proviso that no guns
would be fired.

2. it's still on the tentative listof sites to officially be broughtinto the UNESCO fold. But as Myanmar finally opens up to
tourism,the importance ofprotecting its monuments is greater than ever. The capital city of the first Myanmar
Kingdom,this enormous Buddhistcomplexon the Irrawaddy River contains more than 2,500 intricate monuments
dating to the 10th century

3. Among the first sites to be listed by UNESCOin the 1970s,this otherworldlyarchipelago located in the far reaches of
the Pacific Ocean was described by British naturalistCharles Darwin as "a little world within itself."On top of its bevy
of endemic species that have remained unchanged for centuries,the island groups'location atthe confluence of
three ocean currents also attracts a diverse array of marine life.

4. Sculpted by erosion,Göreme valley and its surroundings contain rock-hewn sanctuaries thatprovide unique evidence
of Byzantine art in the post-Iconoclastic period.Within the rugged natural landscape in and around a small triangle
formed by Ürgüp,Avanos and Nevsehir,ancientvillages and underground towns dating to the 4th century can also
be observed.

5. Composed ofmore than 3,000 individual reefs interspersed with more than 600 topical islands,the world's most
extensive coral reef system is so large it can be identified from space.While the region has been protected since
1981,a 2012 study found that the delicate ecosystem has lostmore than halfof its coral since 1985 due to a
combination offactors including coral bleaching caused byclimate change.

6. Agra's Taj Mahal is undoubtedlyIndia's mostfamous World Heritage Site,but few visitors can deny the magic of
lesser-known Hampi.Attractively nestled between emerald banana plantations in eastern Karnataka,the enormous
group of monuments thatcomprise the former capital ofthe lastgreat Hindu kingdom ofVijayanagara date back to
the 14th century. Highlights include the elephantstables,Kallina Ratha (Stone Chariot) and the towering Virupaksha
Temple.

7. This spectacular semicircular waterfall thatforms the border of Argentina and Brazil spans almost300 meters in
diameter and up to 80 meters in height.Home to an abundantarray of wildlife from neon-winged butterflies to sly
caiman,elusive jaguars and more curious coatis,the falls'subtropical rainforestsurroundings provide a serene
backdrop to its cascading torrents ofwater.

8. Encompassing the largestice mantle outside ofAntarctica, this picturesque southern Patagonian park bordering
Chile is one of the bestplaces in the world to observe glacial activity. Its mostfamous ice mass is the cool blue Perito
Mereno Glacier, from which gianticebergs can be observed crashing into the milkyturquoise waters ofLake
Argentino.

9. The sites thatcomprise Cusco's Sacred Cityare spectacular in their own right, but nothing quite prepares a visitor for
sunrise over the Incan city of Machu Picchu.At 2,430 meters above sea level, in the midstofa tropical mountain
forest, the 15th-century settlementwas among the few Inca sites that wasn'tplundered bySpanish invaders,and
remains one ofthe world's most-photographed sites to this day.

10. On a rocky isleton the coastof Normandy,this fortified village built in the shadow ofa Gothic-style Benedictine abbey
dedicated to the archangel St. Michael appears to float on the ocean if viewed from a particular angle at high tide.
Despite its seeminglyunstable sandbank foundations,the picturesque little village has survived since the 11th
century.

11. Strategically positioned between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, Petra acted as the capital of the Nabataean
caravanning kingdom from around the 6th century BC. Later absorbed by the Roman Empire and finallyabandoned
in the 2nd century AD following a catastrophic earthquake thatcrippled its advanced water managementsystem,the
desertcity carved from rose-red limestone remains one ofthe world's mostimportantarchaeological sites.

12. Comprising the Pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur,including the majestic GreatSphinx, the Old Kingdom of Egypt
was considered to be one of the seven wonders ofthe world in Hellenistic times,and remains the onlyinscription on
the original liststill in existence.Fantasticallypreserved,the dozens of tombs buried in the shadows ofthe famous
pyramids have provided archaeologists a glimpse into one of the world's mostfascinating civilizations.

13. Easter Island,or Hanga Roa as it's called in the local indigenous language,is the mostremote inhabited island on the
planet.Carved from solid basaltbetween the 13th and 16th centuries,the group of more than 800 massive stone
monuments known as moai thatare scattered across the volcanic landscape are the legacy of a Polynesian society
who settled here around 300 AD.

14. Located in northern Tanzania and spilling into nearbyKenya, where the conservation area is known as the Masai
Mara, this iconic savannah hosts the annual migration of2 million wildebeest,zebra and gazelle followed by their
predators,in search of pasture and water. The phenomenal natural spectacle is the largestremaining animal
migration in the world.

15. Arguably the mostbreathtaking sightcontained within the country's so-called cultural triangle,this ancientCeylon city
has been inhabited since the 3rd century BC. Also known as Lion Mountain for the giantclawed feet carved into the
granite alongside a staircase leading to the remains ofa fortified palace builtatop the 370-meter peak,the site also
features a series ofstunning frescoes and lashings of"Sigiri graffiti," one of the mostancienttexts in the Sinhalese
language.

16. There are at least30 Mayan ruins scattered throughoutMexico and Central America. From Chichen Itza to Palenque,
Calakmul to Tikal, few are less than awe-inspiring.Idyllicallysituated on a rocky cliff facing the turquoise waters ofthe
Caribbean Sea,Tulum was one of the lastcities builtand inhabited by the Mayans, managing to survive around 70
years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico in the early 16th century.

17. Ruled successivelyby the Phoenicians,Greeks,Carthaginians,Romans,Byzantines,Arabs and the Order of the
Knights of St. John,the latter of which was responsible for building the city in the 16th century, Valletta is one of the
world's rare urban inhabited sites thathas been preserved near perfectly. Crammed into a tiny fortified peninsula,the
site comprises 320 monuments,making itone of the mostconcentrated historic areas in the world.

18. Tipping the scales ata whopping 47,Italy boasts the mostWorld Heritage Sites ofany nation. Founded in the 5th
century and spread over 118 small islands,Venice is an extraordinary architectural masterpiece in which even the
smallestbuildings contain works bysome ofthe world's greatestartists such as Giorgione,Tintoretto,Titian and
Veronese.With gondola boats providing canal transport,Venice remains the world's onlypedestrian city.

19. For sheer diversity, Yellowstone National Park has to be among the United States'bestnatural wonders.Contained
within a 9,000-kilometer-squared chunk ofWyoming, the world's firstnational park contains halfof the globe's known
geothermal features,and is home to an equally impressive array of wildlife including grizzlies,wolves and bison.