Heritage with Related Tags
Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California
The site includes 244 islands, islets and coastal areas in the Gulf of California, northeastern Mexico. The Sea of Cortez and its islands are known as a natural laboratory for studying speciation. In addition, almost all of the major oceanographic processes on Earth occur in the site, making it of great research value. The site is a place of stunning natural beauty, made up of rugged islands, towering cliffs and sandy beaches, which contrast with the gorgeous reflections of the desert and the surrounding turquoise waters. There are 695 species of vascular plants, more than any other marine and island property on the World Heritage List. The number of fish species is equally outstanding: 891, 90 of which are endemic. In addition, the site is home to 39% of the world's total marine mammal species and a third of the world's marine cetacean species.
Teide National Park
Located on the island of Tenerife, Teide National Park features the Teide-Picoviejo stratovolcano, which at 3,718 meters above sea level is the highest peak in Spanish territory. Rising 7,500 meters above the seafloor, it is considered the third highest volcanic structure in the world and the setting is spectacular. The visual impact of the site is heightened by atmospheric conditions that give the landscape a constantly changing texture and tone, while the "sea of clouds" forms an impressive backdrop to the mountains. Teide is of global importance as it provides evidence of geological processes in the evolution of oceanic islands.
Laponian Area
The Arctic Circle region in northern Sweden is home to the Sami people. This is the world's largest (and last) region where people live an ancestral way of life based on the seasonal migration of livestock. Every summer, the Sami lead their huge reindeer herds through this still well-preserved natural landscape to the mountains, but now threatened by motor vehicles. History and ongoing geological processes can be seen in the moraines and changing waterways.
Desembarco del Granma National Park
The Sambaco del Granma National Park, with its uplifted marine terraces and associated continuously evolving karst topography and features, is a globally significant example of geomorphic and physiographic features and ongoing geological processes. Located in and around Cabo Cruz in southeastern Cuba, the area includes spectacular terraces and cliffs, as well as some of the most pristine and impressive coastal cliffs on the western Atlantic coast.
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas and their geomorphic features are extremely important, with unique biophysical and ecological processes. The site's alpine forest ecosystems influence the Indian monsoon climate pattern. The site regulates the region's tropical climate and is one of the best examples of a monsoon system on Earth. It also has extremely high biodiversity and endemism, and is recognized as one of the world's eight "hottest hotspots" for biodiversity. The site's forests include some of the best representatives of non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests and are home to at least 325 globally threatened species of plants, animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.
Heard and McDonald Islands
Heard Island and McDonald Islands are located in the Southern Ocean, approximately 1,700 km from the Antarctic continent and 4,100 km southwest of Perth. As the only volcanically active subantarctic islands, they "open a window to the Earth", providing opportunities to observe ongoing geomorphic processes and glacial dynamics. Heard Island and McDonald Island are among the world's rare pristine island ecosystems, with unique conservation value in the complete absence of introduced flora and fauna and human impact.
Cocos Island National Park
Cocos Island National Park is located 550 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean with tropical rainforests. Cocos Island is the first point of contact with the North Equatorial Countercurrent and there are countless interactions with the surrounding marine ecosystems, making the area an ideal laboratory for studying biological processes. The underwater world of the national park is famous for its attraction to divers, who rate it as one of the best places in the world to see large pelagic species such as sharks, rays, tuna and dolphins.