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.
Europe and North America is one of the five regions defined by UNESCO, alongside Africa, the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. It consists of 51 nations from Europe and North America that have accepted the World Heritage Convention, making their historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list as World Heritage sites. The region has 583 properties on the World Heritage List. Of those properties, 496 were inscribed for their cultural significance, 75 for their natural significance, and 12 for both their natural and cultural significancebeing termed mixed sites. There are currently 7 World Heritage Sites in Europe and North America 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 Europe and North America region has 555 properties on the tentative list.
+ Europe and North America state parties by World Heritage Sites and criteria, tentative listings, and World Heritage Committee service Service on World Heritage Committee 0 times 10 July 1989 0 times 3 January 1997 1 time 5 September 1993 0 times 18 December 1992 2 times 16 December 1993 0 times 12 October 1988 2 times 24 July 1996 1 time 12 July 1993 3 times 7 March 1974 4 times 23 July 1976 1 time 6 July 1992 2 times 14 August 1975 1 time 26 March 1993 0 times 25 July 1979 1 time 27 October 1995 2 times 4 March 1987 5 times 27 June 1975 0 times 4 November 1992 4 times 23 August 1976 3 times 17 July 1981 0 times 7 October 1982 2 times 15 July 1985 0 times 19 December 1995 0 times 16 September 1991 1 time 6 October 1999 5 times 23 June 1978 0 times 10 January 1995 1 time 31 March 1992 0 times 28 September 1983 1 time 14 November 1978 0 times 7 November 1978 0 times 3 June 2006 1 time 26 August 1992 0 times 30 April 1997 3 times 12 May 1977 3 times 29 June 1976 2 times 30 September 1980 0 times 23 September 2002 0 times 16 May 1990 3 times 12 October 1988 0 times 18 October 1991 1 time 11 September 2001 0 times 31 March 1993 0 times 5 November 1992 3 times 4 May 1982 1 time 22 January 1985 3 times 17 September 1975 3 times 16 March 1983 1 time 12 October 1988 1 time 29 May 1984 4 times 7 December 1973
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