21 places added to UNESCO's World Heritage list

The Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands and a silver trade route in Mexico were among 21 new places added to the list of World Heritage sites at the annual meeting of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, which concluded this week in Brazil.

The additions bring to 911 the total number of sites on the list, which includes natural attractions such as the Grand Canyon as well as man-made and cultural sites such as the Acropolis.

The committee also designated four sites as endangered, including Everglades National Park in Florida.

Other cultural attractions newly designated as World Heritage sites: the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long-Hanoi in Vietnam; the Episcopal city of Albi in France and São Francisco Square in São Cristóvão, Brazil; the prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla in Oaxaca, Mexico; the Tabriz historic bazaar complex in Iran; and historic villages of Hahoe and Yangdong in South Korea.

Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument - a pristine haven for coral and other marine life, and a treasured site of ancient Hawaiian shrines - was added as both a cultural and a natural site.