Best Places on the Planet

The Best Places on the Planet

The United Nations has declared these sites to bi vital to humanity

Without doubt, the most difficult landmark designation to obtain is that of a World Heritage site. Established by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's general conference in 1972, the World Heritage Convention chooses sites that members feel have such outstanding value that “safeguarding them concerns humanity as a whole.”

Today there are about 400 designated World Heritage sites in more than 80 countries. Signatories to the convention not only agree to forever preserve sites located within their own territory, but also to respect designated sites in other countries. Following is a list of the 18 sites included on the list in the United State:

Cultural Sites

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Illinois:

The low bluffs and alluvial terraces of this region where inhabited by large numbers of pre-Columbian people. Here they built a major agricultural and trading base that extended 1.2 million square miles, to include Monk's Mound, probably the largest prehistoric earthen site in the New World. The mound is larger at the base than the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids, although, at 108 feet, it is not as tall.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico:

The pinnacle of pre-Columbian civilization in the United States, this site is also the largest, with over 2,800 archeological sites and the ruins of 13 major pueblo villages.

Independence Hall, Pennsylvania:

This two-story, red brick structure was the seat of the U.S. Government through the 1780s until 1790, when Washington, D.C. Was designated the capital.

La Fortaleza and San Juan Historic Sites, Puerto Rico: Both sites are part of the fortifications that surround San Juan and together make up the largest historic fortifications in the Americas. La Fortaleza dates from the mid-16th century, evolved into a 19th-century palace, and today is the residence of Puerto Rico's governor.

Mesa Verde, Colorado: this site has the most complete record of the Anasazi culture in existence, including ceremonial shrines and residences, that range from one-room houses to enormous cave villages.

Green Bridge. Photo by Elena.

Monticello and the University of Virginia, Virginia: Jefferson drew his ideals of universal freedom, self-determination, and self-fulfillment from Greek and Roman precepts. Here he built stunning neoclassical structures that embody those ideals. Monticello, his home, was built between 1784 and 1809, and the university was built between 1805 and 1824.

Statue of Liberty, New York: This symbol of freedom was presented to the United States by the government of France on the occasion of the first centennial in 1876. The 151-foot figure is dressed in a Roman toga with a torch in her right hand. In her left is a tablet marked July 4, 1776. She is stepping forward from shackles of slavery – a broken chain lies below her feet.

Pueblos de Taos, New Mexico: Taos is a prehispanic town that has successfully retained many of its early traditions. It was founded by the Anasazi Indians of the prehistoric period, and remarkably today most of the multitiered adobe buildings have retained their original forms, changed only by the addition of a few new external doors and windows, and modern fireplaces.

Natural Sites

Everglades National Park, Florida: The largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, the Everglades are a heaven for over 800 vertebrates. In addition, the park has one of the greatest natural history, and environmental education centers on earth.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: The Grand Canyon's walls, a mile deep at some points, are a geological record that reaches back some 2 million years. Also in the area are ruins from the ancient people who lived in the rugged environment.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee: In addition to one of the last great virgin forests in North America, this park contains one of the largest collections of fungi, mosses, and lichen in the world.

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii: Here, active volcanoes rise directly from the Pacific Ocean floor. They have provided the best records and understanding of of volcanic activity on earth. Also throughout the park are numerous archeological sites that indicate that indicate the understandable reverence early Hawai'ian peoples had for the volcanoes.

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky: The largest cave system on earth, with hundreds of miles of charted chambers. In fact, the known chambers are 10 times as extensive as the next-largest cave system.

Olympic National Park, Washington: The park contains one of the largest temperate rain forests remaining on the planet. Its relative isolation on a peninsula accounts for the park's many rare plant and animal species.

Redwood National Park, California: The park contains the three largest trees on earth – the largest is 468 feet. Redwood also has archeological sites stretching back to 300 b.c., including well-preserved semi-subterranean plank houses, sweathouses, and crematoriums.

Wrangell-St.Elias National Park, Alaska: Contains the largest number of glaciers and greatest collection of peaks over 16,000 feet on the continent. One of the most unspoiled national parks in the United States.

Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming: The central third of the oldest national park in the United States is the largest volcanic crater on earth. In addition there are 27 fossilized forests, and over 10,000 geysers.

Yosemite National Park, California: The multitude of glacial features found here is virtually unmatched in the world.

Stunning photographs and essays by world-renowned figures about all World Heritage sites can be found on many websites.