The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage. Dominican Republic accepted the convention on February 12, 1985, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2023, Dominican Republic has only one World Heritage Site, Colonial city of Santo Domingo, which was inscribed in 1990.
World Heritage Sites UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.
+ Site Image Location (province) Year listed DescriptionColonial City of Santo DomingoDistrito Nacional1990526bis; ii, iv, viAfter Christopher Columbus's arrival on the island in 1492, Santo Domingo became the site of the first cathedral, hospital, customs house and university in the Americas. This colonial town, founded in 1498, was laid out on a grid pattern that became the model for almost all town planners in the New World. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO (CC BY 3.0 IGO) license.
Tentative list In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list. , the Dominican Republic has listed thirteen properties on its tentative list. + Site Image Location (province) Year listed UNESCO criteria DescriptionJacagua, Villa of Santiago Santiago Province2001(cutural)MontecristiMonte Cristi Province2001 (cultural)Archaeological and Historical National Park of Pueblo Viejo, La VegaLa Vega Province2001(cultural)Historical Centre of Puerto PlataPuerto Plata Province2001(cultural)City of Azúa de CompostelaAzua Province2001(cultural)Sanate Sugar MillLa Altagracia Province2002ii, iv, vi (cultural)Nuestra Señora de Monte Alegre or la Duquesa Sugar MillDistrito Nacional2002ii, iv vi (cultural)Villa La Isabela Archaeological SitePuerto Plata Province2018ii, v (cultural)Jaragua National ParkPedernales Province2018i, iii, vii, ix, x (culural)First Colonial Engines of AmericaSan Cristóbal Province, Santo Domingo Province2018ii, vi (cultural)Cotubanamá National ParkLa Altagracia Province, La Romana Province2018i, ii, iii (cultural)Marine Mammals Sanctuary Bancos de La Plata and NavidadNone, offshore2018iii, ix, x (mixed)Pre-Hispanic rock art of the Dominican RepublicHato Mayor Province, La Altagracia Province, Pedernales Province, San Cristóbal Province2018i, iii (cultural)
See also List of World Heritage Sites in Haiti List of World Heritage Sites in South America Tourism in the Dominican Republic
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