Title: List of World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom Content: The List of World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom is a group of places chosen by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. There are 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom and overseas territories. The UNESCO list has eighteen properties in England (the Frontiers of the Roman Empire is shared with Germany), five in Scotland, three in Wales, one in Northern Ireland, and one in each of the overseas territories of Bermuda, the Pitcairn Islands, and Saint Helena. ==History== UNESCO was created for the "conservation and protection of the world’s inheritance of books, works of art and monuments of history and science". The constitution of UNESCO was ratified in 1946 by 26 countries, including the United Kingdom."UNESCO Constitution"; retrieved 2012-4-18. The UK contributes £130,000 annually to the World Heritage Fund which finances the preservation of sites in developing countries. Some locations have many sites that have a common geographical location or cultural history. ==List== The World Heritage list has developed over time. It is part of a process; and the list continues to grow. The United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO advises the British government on policies dealing with UNESCO. The British government is responsible for maintaining its World Heritage Sites. === Original list === The first sites in the UK to be added to the World Heritage List, in 1986, were: * Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast * Durham Castle and Cathedral * Ironbridge Gorge * Studley Royal Park and the Ruins of Fountains Abbey * Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites * Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd The latest site to be added was Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal in 2009. === Criteria === There are 10 criteria for a site to be able to be added to the list. World Heritage Site selection criteria i–iv are culturally based. selection criteria vii–x are natural criteria. Twenty-three properties are listed as "cultural". Four are listed as "natural". One is listed as "mixed", which means that the site is notable for both natural and cultural criteria. This is similar to the proportions of all World Heritage Sites. Of the 890 sites on the World Heritage List, 77.4% are cultural, 19.8% are natural, and 2.8% are mixed. St Kilda is the only mixed World Heritage Site in the UK. At first, it was added to the list because of its natural habitats. In 2005, the crofting community that once was part of the archipelago was added to the site. The natural sites are the Dorset and East Devon Coast, Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast, Gough and Inaccessible Islands and Henderson Island. The rest are cultural. As of 2020, there are 30 places in the United Kingdom which are on the World Heritage List. * 25 cultural sites * 4 natural sites There are 13 sites which are on a tentative list. ===Table===  Many other favorite sites were left out this time, including #The Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland #The Forth Bridge, Scotland #The New Forest, England #Shakespeare's Stratford, England #The Wash and North Norfolk Coast, England ==Related pages== * UNESCO World Heritage Site