Explore This Quiz on UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Located at the gateway to the Sahara Desert, Timbuktu was the intellectual and spiritual capital of Africa during the 15th and 16th centuries. The city, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, is home to three great mosques that helped spread Islam throughout the continent: Djingareyber, Sankore, and Sidi Yahia.

A select few cities and towns are so full of cultural experiences and landmarks that their entire area has been named a UNESCO Heritage Site. Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, is one such cultural treasure. The city was founded in the 16th century on Incan ruins, and it remains one of the best-preserved and least-altered historic cities in South America.

Québec is the only North American city to have preserved its ramparts and other defensive works such as gates and bastions. The first thing visitors notice in Old Québec is the colorful Château Frontenac, a historic hotel that towers over this picturesque quarter. Tourists can also visit the 200-year-old Citadelle de Québec, the largest British-built fortress in North America, as well as a 400-year-old monastery.

The Roman Colosseum may loom large in history, but it’s not one of the 12 original UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The first list, created in 1978, included sites such as the historic center of Krakow, Poland; Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park; the archaeological site of L’anse Aux Meadows in Canada; Ethiopia’s rock-hewn church in Lalibela; and Germany’s Aachen Cathedral.

Located in the hills outside Lisbon, Portugal, Sintra feels like stepping into a fairytale. The entire town was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its display of European Romantic architecture, including Pena Palace. It was the creative dream of King Ferdinand II, who transformed the site of a former monastery into the dazzling castle in 1854.

Today, Italy boasts a whopping 58 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but it all started in Valcamonica. Located in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, this valley boasts nearly 140,000 prehistoric cave drawings and became Italy's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The petroglyphs represent approximately 8,000 years of human history, providing insight into the evolution and development of human societies.

Some tourists want what they can’t have. So, with a name like the Forbidden City, it’s no surprise that China’s imperial palace takes the top spot of the most visited UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Averaging 15 million annual visitors since 2012, the Ming Dynasty palace complex in Beijing not only housed emperors but was once the cultural and political center of China.

Considering its long and storied history, it might come as a surprise that London counts only four UNESCO World Heritage Sites within its city limits. They are the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and Saint Margaret's Church (together forming one site); the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew; the Tower of London; and Maritime Greenwich, where you can straddle the prime meridian with one foot in each hemisphere.

Surrounded by Rome, Vatican City is the world’s smallest sovereign nation, at just 0.17 square miles. At its center is St. Peter’s Basilica, the world’s largest Catholic church, which contains the tomb of the Apostle Saint Peter. It features an impressive collection of Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture, including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and works by Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci.

As of 2021, there are 1,155 places in 167 countries that are protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for having cultural, historical, or other significance. Italy has the most sites, with 58. The sites include the historic city centers of Rome and Florence; the 14th-century fresco cycles of Padua; and the Montecatini Terme of Tuscany.