Eight New 'Natural Wonders of World' Named

[Capper]

Eight new natural wonders, including the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico and what has been dubbed "the Galápagos of the Indian Ocean," have been added to the World Heritage List.

World Heritage Sites are named by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The sites, both cultural and natural, added to the list are deemed "of outstanding value to humanity" and deserve protection and preservation, according to the UNESCO Web site.

With the new additions, the World Heritage List now boasts 878 sites (679 cultural, 174 natural and 25 mixed) in 145 countries.

The eight new natural sites added this year include:

• Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Nova Scotia, Canada)
• Mount Sanqingshan National Park (China)
• Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (French South Pacific possessions)
• Surtsey (Iceland)
• Saryarka — Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)
• Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Mexico)
• Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona (Switzerland)
• Socotra Archipelago (Yemen)

"These eight stunning natural sites are amongst the best of what nature has to offer," said David Sheppard, head of the IUCN's Protected Areas Program, which recommended the sites. (IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature.)

World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List

[Zambini]

Kazakhstan! Number one exporter of Potassium AND Steppes!

[WhiteEagle]

Well, at least there was a Canadian site in there!