It's a big list: 911 items long, to be exact. That's how many of the world's buildings, ruins, wild places, even fossil beds have earned the World Heritage designation—and the promise of protection—from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Among the sites, former National Geographic magazine Editor in Chief Bill Allen wrote, you can find "places of inspiration, monuments to human achievement, and symbols of international cooperation."
With the help of our Facebook, Twitter, and Intelligent Travel blog followers, we've chosen 30 World Heritage sites to feature here. (See UNESCO's complete list here.) As you explore the pages, count the sites you've visited and dream of the ones you'd like to visit. Then imagine a world where these places weren't protected and preserved forever.
