Last month, four locations across Africa were spotlighted and inscribed for the magnitude of their cultural and natural significance to the world.

During its 48th session in Busan, South Korea, the World Heritage Committee inscribed 25 new places on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List.

The 4 New UNESCO World Heritage Sites In Africa

Among the new additions, the four sites based in African countries were:

• The Medinas of the Historic Sultanates of the Comoros – Comoros (Cultural): A collection of six towns that are centuries old, inscribed for their historical significance as places where urban development, society, culture, and important trade networks have occurred.

• The Roças of São Tomé and Príncipe – São Tomé and Príncipe (Cultural): A collection of six Portuguese colonial plantations (mostly for coffee and cocoa) that preserve agricultural history that included “forced migration and labor” between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries.

• The Village of Sidi Bou Saïd – Tunisia (Cultural): A significant spiritual and artistic enclave perched over the Mediterranean Sea, additionally recognized for its connection to Sidi Bou Saïd, a 12th-13th century “Sufi master and saint.”

• The Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape – South Sudan (Natural): Where the world’s largest collective terrestrial mammal movement occurs every year, with over 6 million antelope traversing the Boma and Badingilo National Parks into Ethiopia’s Gambella National Park during the Great Nile Migration.

The inscriptions were historic for three of the countries – Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe, and South Sudan – as it was the first time that each had a site included on the World Heritage List. For context, UNESCO has been inscribing World Heritage Sites since 1978. In a press release, the organization noted that the three countries’ inaugural inscriptions showcase UNESCO’s “commitment to a more balanced and representative list.”

UNESCO also added South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape to its List of World Heritage in Danger. The World Heritage Committee used an emergency procedure to inscribe it and two other sites on the list, reflecting the severity of the threats they face.

Additionally, while not a new addition, the Democratic Republic of the Congo‘s Garamba National Park got an update to its inscription. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, the park was approved for boundary modifications following its renomination and reexamination of its “Natural” criteria.

Africa’s UNESCO World Heritage Footprint Continues To Grow

Following the 48th session, there are 112 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa.

Every year, the organization adds new places to its roundup of World Heritage Sites. They’re all placed in one of three categories: Cultural, Natural, and Mixed. Following this year’s session, there are now “1,273 sites across 173 countries,” per the source.

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