Australia: Gondwana Rainforests of Australia

This site, comprising several protected areas, is situated predominantly along the Great Escarpment on Australia’s east coast. The outstanding geological features displayed around shield volcanic craters and the high number of rare and threatened rainforest species are of international significance for science and conservation. Source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1986. Extn: 1984

Thanks to Ms Helen.

Costa Rica: Area de Conservación Guanacaste

The Area de Conservación Guanacaste (inscribed in 1999), was extended with the addition of a 15,000 ha private property, St Elena. It contains important natural habitats for the conservation of biological diversity, including the best dry forest habitats from Central America to northern Mexico and key habitats for endangered or rare plant and animal species. The site demonstrates significant ecological processes in both its terrestrial and marine-coastal environments. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1999

Thanks to Mr Aloy of Costa Rica.

 

Costa Rica: Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park

The location of this unique site in Central America, where Quaternary glaciers have left their mark, has allowed the fauna and flora of North and South America to interbreed. Tropical rainforests cover most of the area. Four different Indian tribes inhabit this property, which benefits from close co-operation between Costa Rica and Panama. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1983

Thanks to Mr Aloy
 

Brazil: Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

The property is located in northeastern Brazil, on the east coast of Maranhão, in a transition zone between three Brazilian biomes: Cerrado, Caatinga and Amazon. More than half of its area consists of a white coastal dune field with temporary and permanent lagoons. Beyond its important role in biodiversity conservation, the park boasts globally significant aesthetic and geological/geomorphological values. Along an 80 km coastline, with beaches followed by plains, the prevailing winds shape the dunes into long chains of barchans, filled in the rainy season to create lagoons of various colours, shapes, sizes and depths. The property reveals its best scenery when the lagoons reach their maximum volume, creating rare beauty. The vast expanse of both stable and shifting dunes, the largest in South America, presents remarkable evidence of the evolutionary progression of coastal dunes throughout the Quaternary period. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2024

Thanks to Mr Rodrigo

Peru: Huascarán National Park

Situated in the Cordillera Blanca, the world's highest tropical mountain range, Mount Huascarán rises to 6,768 m above sea-level. The deep ravines watered by numerous torrents, the glacial lakes and the variety of the vegetation make it a site of spectacular beauty. It is the home of such species as the spectacled bear and the Andean condor. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1985

Thanks to Namdev and Deepika who were visiting Peru.

Peru: Chan Chan Archaeological Zone

The Chimu Kingdom, with Chan Chan as its capital, reached its apogee in the 15th century, not long before falling to the Incas. The planning of this huge city, the largest in pre-Columbian America, reflects a strict political and social strategy, marked by the city's division into nine 'citadels' or 'palaces' forming autonomous units. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1986

 Thanks to Deepika and  Namdev for the card who were visiting Peru.

Iran: Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley

The prehistoric sites of the Khorramabad Valley include five caves and one rock shelter within a narrow ecological corridor rich in water, flora, and fauna. Human occupation dates back 63,000 years, with evidence from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic periods. These sites reveal Mousterian and Baradostian cultures, offering insights into early human evolution and migration from Africa to Eurasia. Artifacts such as decorative objects and advanced stone tools highlight the cognitive and technological development of early humans in the Zagros Mountains. The area remains underexplored, holding significant potential for future archaeological discoveries. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2025

 Received this card in 2009. Thanks to Ms Yasi.

Greece: Minoan Palatial Centres

This serial property comprises six archaeological sites on Crete dating from 1900 to 1100 BCE. These sites represent the Minoan civilization, a major prehistoric Mediterranean culture. The palatial centres served as administrative, economic, and religious hubs, featuring advanced architecture, urban planning, and vibrant frescoes. They reveal early writing systems, maritime networks, and cultural exchanges. The property highlights the complexity of the Minoans’ social structure and their enduring influence on Mediterranean history. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2025

Thanks to Ms Aris. Received this card long back through official postcrossing.

India: Maratha Military Landscapes of India

The property includes twelve major fortifications, mostly in Maharashtra State, with one in Tamil Nadu. These forts, such as Raigad, Shivneri, and Sindhudurg, were built, adapted, or expanded by the Marathas between the late 17th and early 19th centuries. Strategically located on coastal and mountainous terrain, they formed a complex defence system supporting Maratha military dominance, trade protection, and territorial control. This network played a key role in the Marathas’ rise as a major political and military force. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2025

Forts Included in Maharashtra state

1. Salher Fort

2. Shivneri Fort

3. Lohgad Fort

4. Khanderi Fort

5. Raigad Fort

6. Pratapgad Fort

7. Suvarnadurg Fort

8. Panhala Fort

9. Vijaydurg Fort

Fort in state of Tamil Nadu

10. Gingee Fort

Gingee Fort

I had this postcard in my collection.

 

Germany: The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee

This serial property consists of four grand palace complexes in Bavaria’s alpine region, built under King Ludwig II between 1864 and 1886. Designed as personal retreats and imaginative escapes, they reflect the romantic and eclectic spirit of the era. Drawing inspiration from the Wartburg Castle, Versailles, German fairy tales, and Wagner’s operas, the palaces showcase historicist styles and advanced 19th-century techniques. Carefully integrated into stunning natural landscapes, they embody Ludwig’s artistic vision. Opened to the public shortly after his death in 1886, these sites are now preserved as museums and remain major cultural landmarks. soure:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2005

 Thanks to Crissi.

South Korea: Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites

The prehistoric cemeteries at Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa contain many hundreds of examples of dolmens - tombs from the 1st millennium BC constructed of large stone slabs. They form part of the Megalithic culture, found in many parts of the world, but nowhere in such a concentrated form. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2000

Thanks to Mr Mario

Greece: Zagori Cultural Landscape

Located in a remote rural landscape in northwestern Greece, small stone villages known as Zagorochoria extend along the western slopes of the northern part of the Pindus mountain range. These traditional villages, typically organized around a central square containing a plane tree and surrounded by sacred forests maintained by local communities, showcase a traditional architecture adapted to the mountain topography. A network of stone-arched bridges, stone cobbled paths, and stone staircases linking the villages formed a system that served as a political and social unit connecting the communities of the Vikos and the Voïdomatis River basin. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2023

Thanks to Ms Monika.

Greece: Archaeological Site of Philippi

The remains of this walled city lie at the foot of an acropolis in north-eastern Greece, on the ancient route linking Europe and Asia, the Via Egnatia. Founded in 356 BC by the Macedonian King Philip II, the city developed as a “small Rome” with the establishment of the Roman Empire in the decades following the Battle of Philippi, in 42 BCE. The vibrant Hellenistic city of Philip II, of which the walls and their gates, the theatre and the funerary heroon (temple) are to be seen, was supplemented with Roman public buildings such as the Forum and a monumental terrace with temples to its north. Later the city became a centre of the Christian faith following the visit of the Apostle Paul in 49-50 CE. The remains of its basilicas constitute an exceptional testimony to the early establishment of Christianity. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2016

Thanks to Ms Monika who was visiting Greece.

Spain: Talayotic Menorca

Located on the island of Menorca in the western Mediterranean Sea, these archaeological sites are situated in agro-pastoral landscapes. A testimony to the occupation of the island by prehistoric communities, these sites display a diversity of prehistoric settlements and burial places. The materials, forms and locations of structures dating from the Bronze Age (1600 BCE) to the Late Iron Age (123 BCE) show the evolution of a “cyclopean” architecture built with very large blocks of stone. Astronomical orientations and visual interconnections between prehistoric structures indicate networks with possible cosmological meanings. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2023

 

Thanks to Ms Jordi

Tunisia: Archaeological Site of Carthage

Carthage was founded in the 9th century B.C. on the Gulf of Tunis. From the 6th century onwards, it developed into a great trading empire covering much of the Mediterranean and was home to a brilliant civilization. In the course of the long Punic wars, Carthage occupied territories belonging to Rome, which finally destroyed its rival in 146 B.C. A second – Roman – Carthage was then established on the ruins of the first. Source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1979

Thanks to Ms Veerle

Tunisia: Amphitheatre of El Jem

The impressive ruins of the largest colosseum in North Africa, a huge amphitheatre which could hold up to 35,000 spectators, are found in the small village of El Jem. This 3rd-century monument illustrates the grandeur and extent of Imperial Rome. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1979

 Thanks to Ms Veerle who was visiting Tunisa.

South Korea: Namhansanseong

Namhansanseong was designed as an emergency capital for the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), in a mountainous site 25 km south-east of Seoul. Built and defended by Buddhist monk-soldiers, it could accommodate 4,000 people and fulfilled important administrative and military functions. Its earliest remains date from the 7th century, but it was rebuilt several times, notably in the early 17th century in anticipation of an attack from the Sino-Manchu Qing dynasty. The city embodies a synthesis of the defensive military engineering concepts of the period, based on Chinese and Japanese influences, and changes in the art of fortification following the introduction from the West of weapons using gunpowder. A city that has always been inhabited, and which was the provincial capital over a long period, it contains evidence of a variety of military, civil and religious buildings and has become a symbol of Korean sovereignty. Source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2014

 Thanks to Ms Ainu

South Korea: Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies

The property is located in central and southern parts of the Republic of Korea, and comprises nine seowon, representing a type of Neo-Confucian academy of the Joseon dynasty (15th -19th centuries CE). Learning, veneration of scholars and interaction with the environment were the essential functions of the seowons, expressed in their design. Situated near mountains and water sources, they favoured the appreciation of nature and cultivation of mind and body. The pavilion-style buildings were intended to facilitate connections to the landscape. The seowons illustrate a historical process in which Neo-Confucianism from China was adapted to Korean conditions. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2019

Thanks to Ms Ainu from South Korea.

Belgium: Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)

Belgium/ France

All along the Western Front of the First World War, which stretched for some 700 km from the North Sea to the Franco-Swiss border, a series of 139 funerary and memorial sites bear witness to the common desire of the various parties involved in the conflict to honour their children who fell in battle. This objective takes the form of individual graves and/or memorials listing the names of the missing. Places dedicated to meditation, remembrance and tributes are specially created. Beyond the diversity in size, location and design, there is a clear desire to create spaces that are worthy of the sacrifice made. This is reflected in the choice of noble materials, as well as in calls for renowned architects, botanists, landscape architects and artists to design sites of exceptional architectural, artistic and landscape quality. These sites are visited daily by pilgrims, individual visitors, official delegations, school groups, local community representatives and descendants. They bear witness to funerary and memorial practices that are still relevant today, as remains discovered by chance or during archaeological excavations are still buried there with all honours. These commemorative sites represent a heritage that almost literally belongs to the whole world, spreading a message of reconciliation that is still very topical. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2023

 Thanks to Ms Gerda

Botswana: Okavango Delta

This delta in north-west Botswana comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains. It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system that is almost intact. One of the unique characteristics of the site is that the annual flooding from the River Okavango occurs during the dry season, with the result that the native plants and animals have synchronized their biological cycles with these seasonal rains and floods. It is an exceptional example of the interaction between climatic, hydrological and biological processes. The Okavango Delta is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2014

Thanks to Ms Nancy of USA.