UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 6th Session Quiz

Answer: Mississippi River

Though found in the state of Illinois, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site's closest major city is St. Louis, Missouri, which sits across the Mississippi River from it. Being on the Mississippi was why it was constructed there, as it became a key population centre for Native American tribes more than five hundred years before the first European settlers stepped onto the shores of the New World. Today, its status as one of the largest pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the Americas is what qualifies it, quite handily, for preservation overseen by the UNESCO board.

Answer: Yemen

Inhabited for more than a millennium and a half, the city of Shibam was, at one time, the capital of the Kingdom of Hadhramaut, located centrally in the Hadhramaut Governorate (the largest such section of Yemen). The protected part of this city is its unique, old Walled City since it's comprised of a number of skyscrapers, all built from mudbrick in a district of uncharacteristic high density, almost making it seem as though it's Yemen's very own metropolis.

Ultimately, it's one of the earliest examples in the world of vertical city planning, designed in such a way so as to make it difficult for Bedouin attackers to get in. Ironically, it's a site that's been at risk for decades since it's induction to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites listing due to attacks from modern weaponry resulting from unrest and civil war in the region.

Answer: Tasmania

Although Tasmania is the smallest and most remote state in Australia, the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area takes up a quarter of this landmass, making it one of the largest such protected expanses in Oceania. Composed of virtually untouched wilderness, it stretches from the southern tip of the island all the way up to the central plateaus and mountains that make up much of the inner regions of Tasmania. Within its boundaries are ten different National Parks including Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair, Walls of Jerusalem, the Hartz Mountains, and the Mole Creek Karsts.

Answer: Roman

Found amidst the Aurès Mountains in Northern Algeria, all that remains of the former city of Timgad is ruins in various states of preservation ranging from an entire triumphal arch to the waymarkers that once designated old baths, temples, a necropolis, and former homes. What makes Timgad especially fascinating is the fact that it was built atop a grid pattern created by intersecting, perpendicular roads, indicating a very organized city plan characteristic of Roman infrastructure, only across the Mediterranean, deeper into the Sahara. Today, you would find it a short drive east of Batna.

Answer: Havana

Established to become the largest city on the island of Cuba back in the sixteenth century, Havana, though weathered by intense seasonal storms and all manner of sociopolitical issues over the centuries, is home to one of the more unique Old Towns of the Caribbean, a consequence of years of Spanish influence and, at one time, considerable wealth so as to establish unique Baroque structures.

In addition to the Old Town, built around the Plaza de Armas, and the waterfront Malecón, UNESCO protects the several fortresses surrounding the city, constructed to protect Havana from pirates.

Answer: Florence

A beautiful Tuscan city of arts, culture, rich history, and delicious food, Florence is perhaps one of the more famous tourist destinations in Italy, known for its museums and art galleries, royal palaces, and stunning landmarks. At the middle of the city in the Piazza del Duomo is the grandiose Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore; it's a short walk from the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Vecchio, and Ponte Vecchio, straddling the Arno River. Ultimately, Florence is one of the nation's more notable cities, having been its capital (for a short time of only six years) and arguably the epicentre of the Renaissance.

Answer: Recife

While the nearby city of Recife is one of Brazil's largest and is known for its coastal canals, having been constructed near the Atlantic during the sugar boom, Olinda is somewhat more unassuming, found just across the water from Recife's downtown skyline.

In addition to having a wealth of beautiful, preserved colonial architecture, Olinda is a destination for culture, being home to a rich Carnival history influenced not only by Portuguese settlement, but significant nods to West African tradition.

There is no less than twenty preserved Baroque churches in Olinda, all surrounded by lush greenery and oceanfront.

Answer: Indian Ocean

While Kiritimati takes the trophy as the largest coral atoll in the world (in the Pacific), the Aldabra Atoll, in the outer islands of the Seychelles, is still the largest in the Indian Ocean. Interestingly, it's further away from the Seychelles' capital, Victoria, than it is to the African mainland, Madagascar, and nearby Comoros. An at-risk site due to constant struggles with pollution and climate change, Aldabra is a diverse and fragile ecosystem, both under the waves where it hosts its reefs, and on the land, where it acts as the home of the largest giant tortoise population in the world. Fortunately, it is so remote that tourism is kept at a severe minimum, in turn helping preserve the island.

Answer: Lion Rock

Found deep in Central Sri Lanka, Sigiriya wasn't just a royal palace overseen by a king up until the fourteenth century, it was the capital of the island. Occupied since the prehistoric era, this picturesque monolith was built upon and carved into during the Moriya dynasty in the fifth century but today, it's a highly-regarded archaeological spot, home to numerous preserved frescoes, terraced gardens, and views that see out in every direction.

It remains one of the most recognizable landmarks of Sri Lanka.

Answer: Salt mining

Located in Eastern France, the town of Salins was constructed to take advantage of a dearth of salt deposits created by the surrounding waterways, and it was in the twelfth century that a Royal Saltworks was constructed to take advantage of this lucrative commodity.

The town grew up around it, operating with its outlying structures until the early 1960s. The Saline Royale building itself is commonly regarded as exemplary in its combination of industrial need and classical aesthetic; its facade was built to look like a palace.

Answer: Libya

Libya actually took three slots for destinations on this year of inscription with UNESCO. In addition to the archaeological site at Cyrene, the Libyan sites of Leptis Magna and Sabratha also received World Heritage Site designations in 1982. Cyrene has Greek and Roman influences and was built as far back as the sixth century BCE while Leptis Magna was a location in the Carthaginian Empire and Sabratha was originally part of the short-lived Numidian Kingdom (before being co-opted by the Romans). Though the Temple of Zeus is depicted here, Cyrene was actually built in reverence towards Apollo.

Answer: Caribbean

Both of these locations, as well as Ramiers, are part of a landmark complex found in the town of Milot, a short drive from the coastal city of Cap-Haïtien on Haiti's northern shores. Although, historically, rarely visited by foreign tourists due to decades of unrest in this half of Hispaniola, much of National History Park remains as a monument to a highly-regarded period in Haitian history when Haiti obtained its independence from the French in the early nineteenth century. Sans-Souci Palace, specifically, was built as the royal residence for the King of Haiti while nearby Citadelle Laferrière, built atop a hill overlooking the area, was constructed by former African slaves to protect the holdings against foreign armies.

Answer: Tanzania

Located in southeast Tanzania, Selous Game Reserve was established in the late 19th century with the intent to be used for big game hunting, an activity that still persists in regions like these under strict regulation (and with restriction to a much smaller region than initially scoped). Ultimately, Selous, and all of Nyerere National Park, found in its northern reaches, is wildly diverse and extremely vast; the park itself is the same size as Belgium and it's home not only to some of the largest wetlands in the world, but one of the larger elephant sanctuaries in Africa.

Answer: East

Located in the Tasman Sea, Lord Howe Island was found, uninhabited, when British explorers passed through this part of the world in the late eighteenth century, and since then, very few have visited it, an intentional choice due in part to conservation efforts.

As it turns out, Lord Howe Island is remote enough, in such a removed part of the sea, that it acts as a home to species of plants and animals unfound anywhere else in the world. In addition to Lorde Howe Island proper, the twenty-seven outlying islands are also covered by UNESCO's protections.

Answer: Anuradhapura

Located on the Malwathu Oya River, the historic city of Anuradhapura is also the capital of Sri Lanka's North Central Province, which makes up much of the northern half of the nation's mountainous inland region. Occupied for millennia, Anuradhapura is believed to be home to one of the oldest permanent civilizations in the region, and is also the spot at which you can see what is believed to be the world's oldest living planted tree. Today, the city is covered in hundreds of temples, some of which hearken back to the heyday of the early Sinhalese Kingdoms (though periodic years of strife have done some damage to older structures). Nonetheless, it's an archaeological hotspot.