Unesco

UNESCO is the United Nations' educational, scientific and cultural organisation. UNESCO was formed in November 1945, in London, England, with a founding membership of 37 countries. The aim of UNESCO, by way of it's World Heritage Programme, is to award prizes to the world's most outstanding cultural or natural sites, as they consider them of interest to the international community and wish to preserve them. The organisation's first heritage list contained 12 sites and was compiled in 1978.
UNESCO's head office is situated in Paris, France and the organisation has another 56 field offices situated across the world. As of 2011, the organisation consists of 195 member states and 8 associate members, who are represented by 22 state parties, which award prizes in 22 different categories every year. There are currently 936 UNESCO World Heritage Sites across the world, 725 of which are cultural venues and 183 of which are natural wonders.
Nominated sites must be of outstanding universal interest and meet the criteria of at least one of the organisation's ten selection criteria, which are divided into six categories for cultural sites and four categories for natural sites. Each nominated site is evaluated by the International Council of Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union.
The organisation divides the world into five geographical zones, although some sites are listed as belonging to one geographical zone, when in fact they are actually situated in another part of the world. This is because the country which nominates the site is awarded the prize, rather than the location it is in, such as the U.K is awarded the Gough Island site, although Gough Island is in fact situated in the south Atlantic.

Over the years the organisation has chosen a myriad of areas of outstanding natural beauty, ancient monuments, architectural masterpieces, national parks, coastlines, eco systems, prehistoric rocks, archaelogical sites and even the entire country of the...