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Home » Under Secretary for Political Affairs » Bureau of International Organization Affairs » U.S. National Commission for UNESCO » World Heritage Sites in the United States (As of 2/15/12)

National Park Service photo by Michael Quinn, 2009. Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon Village, AZ

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In 1972, the United States proposed the World Heritage Convention to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and was the first state to ratify that convention. The World Heritage Program promotes local and international cooperation for the preservation of natural and cultural heritage. Significantly, it is the most widely accepted international conservation treaty in the world, which has resulted in the American concept of national parks being implemented worldwide.

The following are World Heritage Sites in the United States:

1. Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek (Alaska)
2. Grand Canyon National Park (Grand Canyon, AZ)
3. Redwood National and State Parks (Crescent City, CA)
4. Yosemite National Park (Yosemite National Park, CA)
5. Mesa Verde National Park (Mesa Verde, CO)
6. Everglades National Park (Homestead, FL)
7. Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (Honolulu, HI)
8. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii National Park, HI)
9. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (Collinsville, IL)
10. Mammoth Cave National Park (Mammoth Cave, KY)
11. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (West Glacier, MT)
12. Chaco Culture, including Aztec Ruins (New Mexico)
13. Taos Pueblo (Taos, NM)
14. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (Carlsbad, NM)
15. Statue of Liberty (New York, NY)
16. Independence Hall (Philadelphia, PA)
17. La Fortaleza & San Juan National Historical Site (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
18. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Gatlinburg, TN)
19. Monticello and the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)
20. Olympic National Park (Port Angeles, WA)
21. Yellowstone National Park (Yellowstone National Park, WY)