The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by signatories to the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural heritage includes natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites that are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty. 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. The implementation of the World Heritage Convention, the addition or removal of properties from the World Heritage List, and the allocation of funds, among other responsibilities, are managed by the World Heritage Committee. There are twenty-one state members on the committee. Although a term is a maximum of six years, most state parties choose to relinquish their responsibilities after four years so other countries can have the opportunity to be a member of the committee.

Asia and the Pacific is one of the five regions defined by UNESCO, alongside Africa, the Arab States, Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean. It consists of 46 nations from Asia and Oceania that have accepted the World Heritage Convention, making their historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list as World Heritage sites. The region has 297 properties on the World Heritage List. Of those properties, 212 were inscribed for their cultural significance, 73 for their natural significance, and 12 for both their natural and cultural significancebeing termed mixed sites. There are currently 6 World Heritage Sites in Asia and the Pacific that are endangered.

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 Asia and the Pacific region has 510 properties on the tentative list.

Map key: Red dots represent cultural sites, green triangles represent natural sites, and blue squares represent mixed sites.

+ Asia and the Pacific state parties by World Heritage Sites and criteria, tentative listings, and World Heritage Committee service Service on World Heritage Committee 2 0 0 2 4 0 times 20 March 1979 5 12 4 21 8 5 times 22 August 1974 2 1 0 3 7 1 times 3 August 1983 0 0 0 0 8 0 times 22 October 2001 0 0 0 0 0 0 times 12 August 2011 5 0 0 5 6 1 times 28 November 1991 42 15 4 61 60 4 times 12 December 1985 0 0 0 0 1 0 times 16 January 2009 1 0 0 1 3 0 times 21 November 1990 37 7 1 45 69 4 times 14 November 1977 6 4 0 10 21 2 times 6 July 1989 28 2 0 30 57 1 times 26 February 1975 22 5 0 27 3 4 times 30 June 1992 4 3 0 7 15 2 times 29 April 1994 0 1 0 1 0 0 times 12 May 2000 2 1 0 3 3 1 times 3 July 1995 3 1 0 4 2 0 times 20 March 1987 4 2 0 6 3 1 times 7 December 1988 0 0 0 0 1 0 times 22 May 1986 1 0 0 1 3 0 times 24 April 2002 1 0 0 1 1 0 times 22 July 2002 5 2 0 7 11 1 times 2 February 1990 2 0 0 2 15 0 times 29 April 1994 0 0 0 0 0 0 times 22 July 2024 2 2 0 4 15 1 times 20 June 1978 0 2 1 3 8 1 times 22 November 1984 0 0 0 0 0 0 times 23 January 2001 2 0 1 3 5 0 times 21 July 1998 6 0 0 6 37 2 times 23 July 1976 0 0 1 1 4 0 times 11 June 2002 1 0 0 1 7 0 times 28 July 1997 3 3 0 6 25 2 times 19 September 1985 0 0 0 0 2 0 times 28 August 2001 1 0 0 1 1 0 times 19 June 2012 0 1 0 1 2 0 times 10 June 1992 15 2 0 17 12 4 times 14 September 1988 6 2 0 8 6 1 times 6 June 1980 3 2 0 5 18 0 times 28 August 1992 6 3 0 9 6 4 times 17 September 1987 0 0 0 0 0 0 times 31 October 2016 0 0 0 0 2 0 times 30 April 2004 4 1 0 5 9 0 times 30 September 1994 0 0 0 0 1 0 times 18 May 2023 6 2 0 8 37 0 times 13 January 1993 1 0 0 1 5 0 times 13 June 2002 6 2 1 9 7 2 times 19 October 1987

Afghanistan

World Heritage Sites Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley

Tentative list Source: City of Herat City of Balkh (antique Bactria) Band-E-Amir Bagh-e Babur

Australia

World Heritage Sites Kakadu National Park Great Barrier Reef Willandra Lakes Region Tasmanian Wilderness Lord Howe Island Group Gondwana Rainforests of Australia Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Wet Tropics of Queensland Shark Bay, Western Australia K'gari Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte) Heard and McDonald Islands Macquarie Island Greater Blue Mountains Area Purnululu National Park Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens Sydney Opera House Australian Convict Sites Ningaloo Coast Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Murujuga Cultural Landscape

Tentative list Source: Great Sandy World Heritage Area The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area Flinders Ranges Parramatta Female Factory and Institutions Precinct Workers' Assembly Halls (Australia) Cultural Landscapes of Cape York Peninsula Australian Cornish Mining Sites: Burra and Moonta Victorian Goldfields

Bangladesh

World Heritage Sites Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur The Sundarbans

Tentative list Source: Archaeological Sites on the Deltaic Landscape of Bangladesh Archaeological sites of Lalmai-Mainamati Cultural Landscape of Mahasthan and Karatoya River Mughal Mosques in Bangladesh Mughal and Colonial Temples of Bangladesh The Architectural Works of Muzharul Islam: an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement in South Asia Mughal Forts on Fluvial Terrains in Dhaka

Bhutan

World Heritage Sites , Bhutan does not have any sites inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Tentative list Source: Ancient Ruin of Drukgyel Dzong Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary Dzongs: the centre of temporal and religious authorities (Punakha Dzong, Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, Paro Dzong, Trongsa Dzong and Dagana Dzong) Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP) Royal Manas National Park (RMNP) Sacred Sites associated with Phajo Drugom Zhigpo and his descendants Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) Tamzhing Monastery

Brunei , Brunei has no sites on the World Heritage List or its tentative list.

Cambodia

World Heritage Sites Angkor Temple of Preah Vihear Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, Archaeological Site of Ancient Ishanapura Koh Ker: Archeological Site of Ancient Lingapura or Chork Gargyar Cambodian Memorial Sites: From centres of repression to places of peace and reflection

Tentative list Source: The site of Angkor Borei and Phnom Da The Archeological Complex of Banteay Chhmar Beng Mealea Temple Ancient City of Oudong Phnom Kulen: Archeological Site/ Ancient Site of Mahendraparvata The ancient complex of Preah Khan Kompong Svay

China

World Heritage Sites Mount Taishan The Great Wall Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang Mogao Caves Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian Mount Huangshan Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa Lushan National Park Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area Old Town of Lijiang Ancient City of Ping Yao Classical Gardens of Suzhou Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing Mount Wuyi Dazu Rock Carvings Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun Longmen Grottoes Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Yungang Grottoes Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom Historic Centre of Macao Yin Xu Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains Kaiping Diaolou and Villages South China Karst Fujian Tulou Mount Sanqingshan National Park Mount Wutai Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth" China Danxia West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou Chengjiang Fossil Site Site of Xanadu Xinjiang Tianshan Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor The Grand Canal Tusi Sites Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape Hubei Shennongjia Qinghai Hoh Xil Kulangsu: a Historic International Settlement Fanjingshan Archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital Xixia Imperial Tombs Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites

Tentative list Source: Dongzhai Port Nature Reserve The Alligator Sinensis Nature Reserve Poyang Nature Reserve The Lijiang River Scenic Zone at Guilin Yalong, Tibet Yangtze Gorges Scenic Spot Jinfushan Scenic Spot Heaven Pit and Ground Seam Scenic Spot Hua Shan Scenic Area Yandang Mountain Nanxi River Maijishan Scenic Spots Wudalianchi Scenic Spots Haitan Scenic Spots Dali Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake Scenic Spot Sites for Liquor Making in China Ancient Residences in Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces (Dingcun and Dangjiacun villages) City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Slender West Lake and Historic Urban Area in Yangzhou Ancient Water Towns South of the Yangtze River Chinese Section of the Silk Road: Land routes in Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang; Sea Routes in Ningbo, and Quanzhou City, - from Western-Han Dynasty to Qing Dynasty Fenghuang Ancient City Sites of the Southern Yue State Baiheliang Ancient Hydrological Inscription Miao Nationality Villages in Southeast Guizhou Province: The villages of Miao Nationality at the Foot of Leigong Mountain in Miao Ling Mountains Karez Wells Expansion Project of Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties: King Lujian's Tombs The Four Sacred Mountains as an extension of Mt. Taishan Taklimakan Desert–Populus euphratica Forests China Altay Karakorum–Pamir Wooden Structures of Liao Dynasty – Wooden Pagoda of Yingxian County, Main Hall of Fengguo Monastery of Yixian County Sites of Hongshan Culture: The Niuheliang Archaeological Site, the Hongshanhou Archaeological Site, and Weijiawopu Archaeological Site Ancient Porcelain Kiln Site in China SanFangQiXiang Dong Villages Lingqu Canal Diaolou Buildings and Villages for Tibetan and Qiang Ethnic Groups Archaeological Sites of the Ancient Shu State: Site at Jinsha and Joint Tombs of Boat-shaped Coffins in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province; Site of Sanxingdui in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province 29C.BC-5C.BC Xinjiang Yardang Dunhuang Yardangs Tianzhushan Jinggangshan–North Wuyishan (Extension of Mount Wuyi) ShuDao Tulin–Guge Scenic and Historic Interest Areas Guancen Mountain – Luya Mountain Hulun Buir Landscape & Birthplace of Ancient Minority Qinghai Lake Scenic and historic area of Sacred Mountains and Lakes Taihang Mountain Vertical Vegetation Landscape and Volcanic Landscape in Changbai Mountain Guizhou Triassic Fossil Sites Huangguoshu Scenic Area