HETO

• Heritage sites


  Places of historical, cultural, or architectural significance that are preserved and protected
• Heritage sites in North America

  • Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Taos Pueblo, Taos, N.M.
  • Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
  • La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico
  • Historic District of Old Québec, Canada
  • Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
  • Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
  • Landscape of Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada


  • Best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America
  • Established in 1753
  • Retained its original layout and overall appearance, based on a rectangular grid pattern
  • Inhabitants have preserved the wooden architecture of the houses, some dating from the 18th century
• Taos Pueblo, Taos, N.M.


  • Only living Native American community designated both a UNESCO World Heritage site and a National Historic Landmark
  • Ancestors of the Taos Indians lived in this spot long before Columbus landed
  • Oldest structures likely date back to 1000 CE
  • Still inhabited, with no electricity or running water used within its adobe walls
• Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

  • The Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution of the United States (1787) were both signed in this building
  • The universal principles of freedom and democracy set forth in these documents are of fundamental importance to American history and have also had a profound impact on law-makers around the world
• La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico


  • A series of defensive structures was built at this strategic point in the Caribbean Sea to protect the city and the Bay of San Juan
  • Represents a fine display of European military architecture adapted to harbor sites on the American continent
• Historic District of Old Québec, Canada

  • Québec was founded by the French explorer Champlain in the early 17th century
  • It is the only North American city to have preserved its ramparts, together with the numerous bastions, gates and defensive works which still surround Old Québec
  • The Upper Town, built on the cliff, has remained the religious and administrative centre, with its churches, convents and other monuments
  • Together with the Lower Town and its ancient districts, it forms an urban ensemble which is one of the best examples of a fortified colonial city
• Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza, Yucatan, Mexico


  • One of the greatest Mayan centres of the Yucatán peninsula
  • Different peoples have left their mark on the city throughout its nearly 1,000-year history
  • The Maya and Toltec vision of the world and the universe is revealed in their stone monuments and artistic works
  • The fusion of Mayan construction techniques with new elements from central Mexico make Chichen-Itza one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilization in Yucatán
  • Several buildings have survived, such as the Warriors' Temple, El Castillo and the circular observatory known as El Caracol
• Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.

  • Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), author of the American Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States, was also a talented architect of neoclassical buildings
  • He designed Monticello (1769–1809), his plantation home, and his ideal 'academical village' (1817–26), which is still the heart of the University of Virginia
  • Jefferson's use of an architectural vocabulary based upon classical antiquity symbolizes both the aspirations of the new American republic as the inheritor of European tradition and the cultural experimentation that could be expected as the country matured
• Landscape of Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, Canada


  • The cultural landscape bears exceptional testimony to a traditional farming settlement created in the 17th century by the Acadians in a coastal zone with tides that are among the highest in the world
  • The polderization used traditional techniques of dykes, aboiteaux and a drainage network, as well as a community-based management system still in use today
  • The resultant rich alluvial soil enabled continuous and sustainable agricultural development
• Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve


  Key overwintering sites for the monarch butterfly
• Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve


  • Michoacán, Mexico (2008)
• The overwintering concentration of butterflies in the property is a superlative natural phenomenon
• Witnessing this unique phenomenon is an exceptional experience of nature
• Yosemite National Park


  • California, U.S. (1984)
• Yosemite National Park


  • Hanging valleys
  • Many waterfalls
  • Cirque lakes
  • Polished domes
  • Moraines
  • U-shaped valleys
• Grand Canyon National Park

  • Arizona, U.S. (1979)
• Grand Canyon


  • Carved out by the Colorado River
  • Nearly 1,500 m deep
  • Horizontal strata retrace the geological history of the past two billion years
  • Prehistoric traces of human adaptation
• Everglades National Park


  • Florida, U.S. (1979)
• Everglades National Park


  • Exceptional variety of water habitats
  • Sanctuary for a large number of birds and reptiles
  • Threatened species such as the manatee
• Mesa Verde National Park


  • Colorado, U.S. (1978)
• Mesa Verde National Park

  • Great concentration of ancestral Pueblo Indian dwellings
  • Built from the 6th to the 12th century
  • Imposing cliff dwellings, built of stone and comprising more than 100 rooms
• Redwood National and State Parks

  • California, U.S. (1980)
• Redwood National Park


  • Covered with a magnificent forest of coastal redwood trees
  • Sea lions
  • Bald eagle
  • Endangered California brown pelican
• Statue of Liberty


  • New York, U.S. (1984)
• Statue of Liberty


  A towering monument to liberty, a gift from France on the centenary of American independence
• Yellowstone National Park


  • Wyoming, U.S. (1978)
• Yellowstone National Park


  • Vast natural forest covering nearly 9,000 km2
  • Half of all the world's known geothermal features, with more than 10,000 examples
  • World's largest concentration of geysers (more than 300 geyers, or two thirds of all those on the planet)
  • Wildlife such as grizzly bears, wolves, bison and wapitis
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park


  • New Mexico (1995)
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park


  • Karst landscape comprising over 80 recognized caves
  • Outstanding for their size and the profusion, diversity and beauty of their mineral formations
  • Lechuguilla Cave, an underground laboratory where geological and biological processes can be studied in a pristine setting
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park


  • Hawaii, U.S. (1987)
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

  • Contains two of the most active volcanoes in the world, Mauna Loa and Kilauea
  • Volcanic eruptions have created a constantly changing landscape
  • Rare birds and endemic species
  • Forests of giant ferns
• Papahānaumokuākea


  • Hawaii, U.S. (2010)
• Papahānaumokuākea


  • Vast and isolated linear cluster of small, low lying islands and atolls
  • Deep cosmological and traditional significance for living Native Hawaiian culture
  • Archaeological remains relating to pre-European settlement and use
  • Pelagic and deepwater habitats, with notable features such as seamounts and submerged banks, extensive coral reefs and lagoons
  • One of the largest marine protected areas (MPAs) in the world