WORLD

A new list of 50 sites includes an ancient underwater city in Greece, historic churches in Cuba, and a 20th-century fish market in Tokyo. (Nat Geo News)

Start Mapping World Heritage with our activity.

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources, including today’s MapMaker Interactive map.

Discussion Ideas

• Read through our activity, Mapping World Heritage. The activity focuses on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while today’s MapMaker Interactive map focuses on the World Monuments Watch list. What is the major difference between the two similar lists?
  • The UNESCO list includes sites of both cultural and natural heritage, while the World Monuments list focuses exclusively on cultural heritage.

• Browse through today’s MapMaker Interactive map, or take a look at the same list on a grid here. What sort of cultural activities distinguish some of the places on the list?
  • Religion and Spirituality
    • Church and Convent of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador (Catholicism)
    • Gon-Nila-Phuk Cave Temples and Fort in Saspol, India (Buddhism)
    • Cultural Heritage Sites of Nepal (Hinduism)
  • History
    • Spaç Prison in Spaç, Albania (20th-century political prison)
    • Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe (Iron Age city and palace complex)
    • Pavlopetri in Elafonisos, Greece (Bronze Age city, oldest underwater city yet discovered)
  • Architecture
    • Traditional Architecture of Mauritius (19th- and 20th-century colonial styles)
    • Ladeira da Misericórdia in Salvador, Brazil (street design by 20th-century modernist architect Lina Bo Bardi)
    • Moseley Road Baths in Birmingham, England (19th-century Victorian style)
  • Community Use
    • The National Sports Complex in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (multi-purpose stadium)
    • Água da Prata Aqueduct in Évora, Portugal (irrigation)
    • Figuig Oasis in Morocco (agriculture)

• Browse through today’s MapMaker Interactive map. What are some of the leading reasons why these monuments are at risk?
  • Looting
    • Kua Ruins in Tanzania
    • Abusir el-Malek in Wasta, Egypt
  • Vegetation or Erosion
    • Bunce Island in Sierra Leone
    • Sabu-Jaddi Rock Art Sites in Sudan
  • War
    • Unnamed Monuments. The cultural heritage of Syria and Iraq in particular is threatened by terrorism and civil war.
  • Neglect
    • World War II Concentration Camps in Italy
    • General Cemetery of Santiago in Chile
  • Development
    • Dalieh of Raouche in Beirut, Lebanon
    • Tsukiji in Tokyo, Japan

• Have you visited any of the sites on the list? Have you visited a UNESCO World Heritage site? Why do you think cultural heritage should be preserved—or why don’t you?

• Instead of a country report, consider having your students do a “monument report” using on the World Monument or UNESCO lists. Preparation would require the same academic research, outline, mapping, and presentation skills used in more traditional reports.

TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT

Nat Geo: These 50 Treasured Places Are At Risk of Disappearing

Nat Geo: Mapping World Heritage activity

Nat Geo: World Monuments Watch interactive map

World Monuments Fund: World Monuments Watch