UNESCO (you-ness-coh)

UNESCO is a multinational organization serving under the United Nations  for the purpose of unifying the human race through science, education, arts, and cultural appreciation. It is comprised of 194 member states and twelve allies. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II out of a need to help rebuild the world after intense destruction and oppression.

Public Agenda

Though UNESCO practices its doctrine in multiple ways, one of the most prominent and relevant ones is its World Heritage Project. Landmarks or areas deemed to have major cultural and natural importance are recognized as protected areas and given a distinct emblem signifying their importance to the planet Earth. These can be islands, ancient ruins, buildings, deserts, jungles, forests, lakes, cities, monuments, or mountains.
There are currently about 1,158 World Heritage Sites, with many more to be added. Currently, Italy  has the highest total of World Heritage Sites within its borders.

Prominent UNESCO World Heritage Sites

• Yellowstone National Park
• Bikini Atoll Nuclear Test Site
• Great Wall of China
• Everglades
• Statue of Liberty
• Yosemite National Park
• Redwood National and State Parks
• Nazca Lines
• Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
• Mount Fuji
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial
• Dinosaur Provincial Park
• Great Zimbabwe National Monument
• Giza Pyramid complex
• Serengeti National Park
• Kilimanjaro National Park
• Babylon
• Stonehenge
• Church of the Nativity
• Grand Canyon National Park
• Mammoth Cave National Park
• Teotihuacán
• Rapa Nui National Park
• Eiffel Tower
• Sydney Opera House
• Itsukushima Shrine
• Sistine Chapel
• Pompeii
• Rio de Janeiro
• Jerusalem
• Kremlin
• Saint Basil's Cathedral
• Shaolin Monastery
• Venice
• Acropolis of Athens
• Lascaux Caves
• Auschwitz concentration camp
• Westminster Abbey
• Tower of London
• Great Barrier Reef
• Lord Howe Island
• Taj Mahal
• Galápagos Islands
• Old Havana
• Trinidad
• Komodo National Park
• Bagan
• Vatican City
• Monster Island
• Pellucidar

Founding Date

November 16, 1945

Type

Alliance, Cultural

Alternative Names

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Ruling Organization

United Nations