How many heritage sites are there in South Africa
The World Heritage Convention, founded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1972, defines World Heritage Sites as locations significant to the cultural or natural heritage. On July 10, 1997, South Africa ratified the treaty, making its historical sites eligible for listing. Ten World Heritage Sites, comprising four cultural, four natural, and one mixed, are located in South Africa as of 2021.
South African world heritage sites
It’s not surprising that the nation is home to no fewer than 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites given all it has to offer (places of significant value recognised by the United Nations). UNESCO World Heritage Sites are recognized internationally and can be designated for either their cultural or natural heritage. The 10 UNESCO sites in South Africa are divided into five cultural, four natural, and one mixed site.
The South African Fossil Hominid Sites, sometimes known as the Cradle of Humanity, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. The Sterkfontein Caves, a significant paleo-anthropological site where numerous old fossils have been discovered, is one of the locations.
These include early hominid remains, the oldest of which is estimated to be close to four million years old. The Taung Skull Fossil Site, where the 2.8 million-year-old skull of an Australopithecus africanus kid was famously discovered in 1924, is also a part of the UNESCO site. Through a number of interesting interactive installations, the Maropeng Visitor Center now provides a glimpse into the significance of the locations.
The Cultural Landscape of Mapungubwe
Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, located in the savannah landscape of Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. A colony was founded here between 1200 and 1290 AD, and via trade with the Far East, it grew to be one of the biggest and richest kingdoms in Africa. Up to its abandonment in the fourteenth century, the kingdom was thriving. Thanks to a vast labyrinth of remains, which includes a palace and two former capital sites, it is now conceivable to imagine what the area could have looked like in its heyday. Near the park’s main entrance, there is a museum housed in a visitor center that provides tours of the ruins and exhibits artifacts discovered there.
Cultural and Botanical Landscape of Richtersveld
Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape, which is situated in the Northern Cape Province close to the Namibian border, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. The area was originally known as the Richtersveld Community Conservancy, which the local Nama people had exploited to maintain their distinctive semi-nomadic way of life in a rocky desert. Island of Robben
Robben Island
off the coast of Cape Town, began serving as a penal colony as early as the 17th century. Since then, it has served as a whaling station, a leper colony, and a military installation during World War II. However, it is best known for housing political prisoners during the period of apartheid in the 20th century.
There were many well-known freedom fighters detained, including Nelson Mandela, who spent 18 years there, PAC leader Robert Sobukwe, and ANC activist Walter Sisulu. The prison on Robben Island was permanently closed once apartheid ended, and it now serves as a symbol of a South Africa that is more prosperous and racially equitable. Five years after the island’s discovery, in 1999, UNESCO designated it as a world heritage site.
The Protected areas in the Cape Floral Region include the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the Vredefort Dome, the Maloti-Drakensberg Park, and the Khomani Cultural Landscape.Barberton Mountains Makhonjwa are other heritage sites
