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Located in the continent of North America, the United States of America (USA) comprises 50 states. The country stands out for its rapid growth in terms of politics and economy. Every year, it attracts millions of tourists with tons of tourist destinations. Many of these have gained the status of world heritage sites by UNESCO.
Keep reading this article for a complete guide.
The USA is filled with multiple tourist destinations and sites. Currently, there are about 24 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the USA. These are listed below:
It is one of the most popular UNESCO sites in the USA, built between the 6th and 12th centuries. Located at an altitude of 2,600 m, this park houses more than 4,400 sites of ancestral Pueblo Indian dwellings. The cliff dwellings are the most popular among the tourists, which include the multi-storey Cliff Palace, Square Tower House, and Balcony House.
Covering nearly 9,000 km2, this park stands out for showcasing exceptional geological phenomena and processes. The unique geothermal forces and wild ecosystems have contributed to enhancing its natural beauty. Its collection of geysers, a diverse range of wildlife and numerous waterfalls have contributed to its world heritage status.
These are four parks contributing to a unique complex containing high peaks and glaciers. It stands out for housing the world’s largest non-polar icefield. The area has a high biodiversity, with coastal biogeoclimatic zones, forests, and marine and sub-alpine areas.
These sites are also home to an impressive collection of fauna, including anadromous fish and marine mammals.
This park has received its status as a world heritage site because of its unique sub-tropical wilderness reserve. Its natural beauty is also impeccable, with shallow bays, brackish water and a diverse range of flora and fauna.
Moreover, it houses the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere, along with a stand of sawgrass prairie and limestone substrate.
It is one of the largest ongoing geological spectacles in the world. The 1.5 km deep gorge has contributed to its status as a world heritage site, which is up to 30 km wide. It was formed during 6 million years of erosion and other geological activities caused by the Colorado River.
Moreover, the temple-like buttes, plunging depths, forests, lava flows, streams, waterfalls, etc., have also caught the eyes of the tourists.
This building is a major UNESCO heritage site in the USA, as the Declaration of Independence of 1776 and the Constitution of the United States of 1787 were both signed here. The universal principles of freedom and democracy as pointed out in these two documents had major implications for the lawmakers and political thinkers of the country.
This park borders the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco, with a region of coastal mountains in its surroundings. It is covered with a lush green forest of coastal redwood trees, which are the tallest worldwide.
Apart from that, the wide range of wildlife in this park is also impressive, including sea lions, the California brown pelican and the bald eagle. It stands out to the tourists for its natural beauty and rich collection of flora and fauna.
The list of UNESCO world heritage sites in the USA will be incomplete without this park. Its diverse ecosystems with glacier-clad peaks and alpine meadows with a large forest have contributed to its popularity.
The Olympic Mountains and 11 river systems draining it contribute to its natural beauty. Moreover, the park houses a diverse range of wildlife including the spotted owl and marbled murrelet.
This is another popular national park, which received the status of a world heritage site for its underground passageways and natural caves. Here, you can witness the various stages involved in the Earth's evolutionary history and other geological processes.
Moreover, it houses more than 130 species of a diverse range of cave-dwelling wildlife, making it more popular.
It is the largest pre-Columbian settlement, which exhibits the features of a complex chiefdom society with multiple satellite mound centres. This site is popular for being a perfect centre for the culture, religion and values of the Mississippian era.
Covering six hectares with a height of 30 m. It stands out for being one of the earliest Mississippian settlements.
This beautiful national park is one of the most popular UNESCO World Heritage sites in the United States. It is the home to more than 3,500 types of plant species, including about 130 natural species of trees.
Moreover, it also has a huge collection of endangered species of animals, with a great variety of salamanders. The scenic beauty is exceptional, with long virgin timber and running streams.
This site represents a series of structures built between the 16th and 20th centuries in the Caribbean Sea to protect the Bay of San Juan. You can witness a fine European military architecture style in these structures, reflecting influences from the Baroque, Italian Renaissance, and French Enlightenment. They symbolise the cultural ties linking the Hispanic world.
A French sculptor Bartholdi built this statue as France's gift to American independence, and it was inaugurated in 1886. The exceptional design and construction make it a perfect blend of both art and engineering.
The statue represents the human spirit, holding the USA Declaration of Independence in her left hand. It is also a symbol representing liberty, peace, human rights, democracy, etc.
This park is known for its unique hanging valets, along with multiple lakes and waterfalls. Tourists are drawn to the overview that this park offers of different types of granite relief created by glaciations.
With deeply incised valleys, granite domes and walls, alpine meadows and giant sequoia, this park stands out for its exceptional natural beauty.
It is a network of archaeological sites which have preserved several elements of the pre-Columbian culture that dominated the US between the 9th and 13th centuries. Apart from the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, you will be able to explore the Aztec Ruins National Monument and a few other protected archaeological areas here.
The sites are linked with custom-engineered roads. You can witness multi-storey structures with sophisticated coursed masonry.
This property is a great example to exhibit the formation of islands through volcanoes. The process of shield-building volcanism has made this park’s landscape dynamic, which keeps changing constantly.
Here, you can experience the unique side of nature, with lava flows revealing new geological formations. Tourists can also spot rare species of birds and giant fern forests here.
Located at the heart of the University of Virginia, Monticello is the 'academical village' of Thomas Jefferson. He was the third President of the US and wrote the American Declaration of Independence.
The buildings are great examples of Neoclassicism, reflecting Jefferson’s idea of the new American republic. You can witness classical Roman buildings here, with Doric columns and friezes and cornices.
This is a complex containing multiple ceremonial buildings and facilities, with multi-storeyed adobe dwellings with terraced tiers. It represents the culture of the present-day Pueblo Indian people. You can witness kivas, which are the underground ceremonial chambers.
Apart from that, it comprises the ruins of a previous pueblo, tracks for traditional foot races, remains of churches, etc.
With over 80 recognised caves, this park stands out for its unique landscape and diversity of mineral formations. Here, you can witness more than 120 limestone caves with decorative rock formations called speleothems.
Carlsbad and Lechuguilla are the two primary caves, mainly known for the speleothems and the largest accumulation of gypsum “chandeliers”.
The favourable climate and physiographic setting of this park have made it one of the most well-known UNESCO World Heritage sites in US. The impeccable natural beauty and a diverse range of flora and fauna have also contributed to enhancing its popularity among tourists. The tri-ocean hydrographical divide further adds to the unique appeal of this park.
It is a vast and isolated linear cluster comprising multiple small and low-lying islands. Here, you can experience the Native Hawaiian culture and learn about the kinship between people and the natural world.
The property includes a vast area of Hawai’i-Emperor hotspot trail, which represents an island hotspot progression. The pelagic and deepwater habitats of this area allow the tourists to witness coral reefs, lagoons, pinnacles and atoll islands.
This location is popular for its unique Monumental Earthworks. It has five mounds and six semi-elliptical ridges, a central plaza separating them. It comprises of earthen monuments created about 3,700-3,100 years ago. You can witness history in this area, exploring the rich collection and archaeological excavations.
Situated along the San Antonio River basin, this site comprises five frontier mission complexes. Franciscan missionaries built this site in the 18th century, illustrating Spanish and Coahuiltecan cultures.
The interesting archaeological and architectural structures along with the farmlands, churches and granaries have contributed to the popularity of this site.
Constructed during the first half of the 20th century, this complex is another top UNESCO site in the United States. It comprises eight buildings. These buildings reflect 'organic architecture' by Wright.
The needs of housing, work and leisure are addressed with innovative solutions in these buildings, keeping geometric abstraction and spatial manipulation in mind.
UNESCO considers certain factors when listing places on the list of world heritage sites. Some of these are listed below:
That concludes our list of the world heritage sites in the USA. This is a big country with multiple tourist destinations. As of now, 24 of these have received the status of world heritage sites by UNESCO. Moreover, 19 more sites are currently waiting under the tentative list of heritage sites, likely to receive the status soon. If you are planning a trip to the US, do not forget to visit these sites.
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