Pictures: 5 New World Heritage Sites

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee selects places to inscribe as World Heritage Sites every year from a list of nominees. Guided by theWorld Heritage Convention -which was created in 1972-the Committee is tasked with selecting and ensuring the protection of natural and cultural areas of "outstanding universal value."

In order for a natural site to be listed, it must meet one of four criteria:

● To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

● To be outstanding examples representing major stages of Earth's history, including the record of life, significant ongoing geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;

● To be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;

● To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

The Namib Sand Sea, part of the Namib Desert that runs up the southwestern coast of Africa from South Africa to Angola, is the first natural site in ten years to meet all four criteria. Of the 13 sites nominated this year, eight fulfilled only one or two of the categories.

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