List of World Heritage Sites in Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of World Heritage Sites in Canada. The names in the tables below are the names of the properties as used on the website of UNESCO. There are three different types of properties possible: cultural, natural, and mixed. Selection criteria i, ii, iii, iv, v, and vi are the cultural criteria, and selection criteria vii, viii, ix, and x are the natural criteria.[1] The dates for the properties on the World Heritage List are the dates of inscription, the dates for the tentative list are those of submission. The numbers are the reference numbers as used by UNESCO, and they link directly to the description pages of the properties on the UNESCO website.

Definitions[]

Site – official designation of the World Heritage Committee.
Location – the province or territory where the site is located, with geocoordinates. In the case of multinational or multi-regional sites, names are sorted alphabetically after being sorted by country.
Criteria – as defined by the World Heritage Committee.
Area – in hectares and acres, followed by buffer zones if applicable. A value of zero implies that no data has been published by UNESCO.
Year – during which the site was inscribed to the World Heritage Sites list.
Description – brief information about the site, including reasons for inscription.

  * Transboundary site

World Heritage Sites[]

Ref No. Site Image Location Criteria Area
ha (acre)
 Year Description
304 Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks Lake and forest in front of high rocky mountains with snow. CanadaAlberta and British Columbia
52°11′N 117°11′W / 52.183°N 117.183°W / 52.183; -117.183 (Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks) 		Natural:
(vii), (viii) 		2,306,884 (5,700,430) 1984
[nb 1] 		With high peaks, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and limestone caves, the National Parks that make up this site exemplify the exceptional features of the Rocky Mountains. Furthermore, one of the world's most celebrated fossil fields, the Burgess Shale Formation is located within the inscribed property.[2][3]
71 Dinosaur Provincial Park A skeleton of a dinosaur. CanadaAlberta
50°46′4″N 111°29′32″W / 50.76778°N 111.49222°W / 50.76778; -111.49222 (Dinosaur Provincial Park) 		Natural:
(vii), (viii) 		7,493 (18,520) 1979 The park is noted for the beauty of its badland landscape and as a major fossil site. Specimens of every group of Cretaceous dinosaurs have been found here including those of 35 species dating more than 75 million years ago.[4]
419 Gros Morne National Park Mountain landscape with Western Lake Pond in the foreground. CanadaNewfoundland and Labrador
49°37′N 57°32′W / 49.617°N 57.533°W / 49.617; -57.533 (Gros Morne National Park) 		Natural:
(vii), (viii) 		180,500 (446,000) 1987 With deep ocean crust and rocks of the earth's mantle lying exposed, the park illustrates plate tectonics. Landlocked freshwater fjords, glacier-scoured headlands in an ocean setting contribute to the natural beauty of this wilderness area.[5]
158 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump A line of rocks overlooking a plain. CanadaAlberta
49°42′29″N 113°39′15″W / 49.70806°N 113.65417°W / 49.70806; -113.65417 (Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump) 		Cultural:
(vi) 		— 1981 The property consists of remains of a camp, of trails and a tumulus of bones of the American bison bearing testimony to nearly 6000 years of communal hunting in which the bisons were driven over a cliff, a practice known as buffalo jump.[6]
300 Historic District of Old Québec A cluster of pre-20th century buildings across a street intersection. CanadaQuebec City, Quebec
46°48′34″N 71°12′38″W / 46.80944°N 71.21056°W / 46.80944; -71.21056 (Historic District of Old Québec) 		Cultural:
(iv), (vi) 		— 1985 Founded by the French in the 17th century, the urban ensemble of Old Québec is the most complete example of a European fortified town north of Mexico.[7]
1285 Joggins Fossil Cliffs Fossilized tree trunk in a rock face. CanadaNova Scotia
45°42′35″N 64°26′9″W / 45.70972°N 64.43583°W / 45.70972; -64.43583 (Joggins Fossil Cliffs) 		Natural:
(viii) 		689 (1,700); buffer zone 29 (72) 2008 This paleontological site contains the most complete terrestrial fossil record of the Carboniferous period including tracks of early animals and of the rainforest they lived in.[8]
72 Kluane / Wrangell-St Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek A glacier, mountains of black gravel and snowcovered mountains. CanadaBritish Columbia and Yukon*;
Alaska, United States*
61°12′N 141°0′W / 61.200°N 141.000°W / 61.200; -141.000 (Kluane / Wrangell-St Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek) 		Natural:
(vii), (viii), (ix), (x) 		9,839,121 (24,313,000) 1979
[nb 2] 		These parks comprise the world's largest non-polar icefield, some of the largest glaciers and a tectonically active mountain landscape. They are home to a number of species endangered elsewhere such as bears, wolves, caribou and Dall sheep.[9][10][11]
1404 Landscape of Grand-Pré Grand Pré memorial church and statue of Évangeline. CanadaNova Scotia
45°7′6″N 64°18′26″W / 45.11833°N 64.30722°W / 45.11833; -64.30722 (Landscape of Grand-Pré) 		Cultural:
(v), (vi) 		1,323 (3,270) 2012 The Grand Pré landscape is an exceptional example of the adaptation of the first European settlers to the conditions of the North American Atlantic coast. The site is also inscribed as a memorial to the Acadian way of life and deportation, which started in 1755, known as the Grand Dérangement.[12]
4 L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site Grass-covered house with wooden chimneys. CanadaNewfoundland and Labrador
51°28′0″N 55°37′0″W / 51.46667°N 55.61667°W / 51.46667; -55.61667 (L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site) 		Cultural:
(vi) 		— 1978 These remains of an 11th-century Viking settlement are the first and only known site of Norse presence and the earliest known European settlement in America outside of Greenland.[13]
686 Miguasha National Park
(a provincial park) 		Forested mountains with rocks and pebble beach. CanadaGaspé Peninsula, Quebec
48°6′18″N 66°21′11″W / 48.10500°N 66.35306°W / 48.10500; -66.35306 (Miguasha National Park) 		Natural:
(viii) 		87 (210) 1999 The palaeontological site is considered to be the world's most outstanding illustration of the Devonian Period known as the 'Age of Fishes'. Dating from 370 million years ago, the Upper Devonian Escuminac Formation represented here contains five of the six fossil fish groups associated with this period. Its significance stems from the discovery there of the highest number and best-preserved fossil specimens of the lobe-finned fishes that gave rise to the first four-legged, air-breathing terrestrial vertebrates – the tetrapods.[14]
1497 Mistaken Point An Ediacaran fossil found at Mistaken Point. CanadaNewfoundland and Labrador
46°37′55″N 53°11′25″W / 46.63194°N 53.19028°W / 46.63194; -53.19028 (Mistaken Point) 		Natural:
(viii) 		570 (1,400) 2016
 Mistaken Point contains the oldest evidence known of early multi-cellular life on the planet with fossils calculated to be 560–575 million years old.[15]
24 Nahanni National Park Large but relatively low waterfall through rocks. CanadaNorthwest Territories
61°33′N 125°35′W / 61.550°N 125.583°W / 61.550; -125.583 (Nahanni National Park) 		Natural:
(vii), (viii) 		476,560 (1,177,600) 1978 [16]
741 Old Town Lunenburg Churches and brightly colored houses near the water. CanadaNova Scotia
44°22′34″N 64°18′33″W / 44.37611°N 64.30917°W / 44.37611; -64.30917 (Old Town Lunenburg) 		Cultural:
(iv), (v) 		— 1995 Old Town Lunenburg is a well-preserved example of 18th century British colonial urban planning, which has undergone no significant changes since its foundation, and which largely continues to fulfil the economic and social purposes for which it was designed. [17]
1415 Pimachiowin Aki A rock wall at the edge of a body of water. CanadaManitoba and Ontario
51°49′35.1″N 95°24′40.6″W / 51.826417°N 95.411278°W / 51.826417; -95.411278 (Pimachiowin Aki) 		Mixed:
(v), (vii), (ix), (x) 		4,015,000 (9,920,000) 2018
 A managed landscape on the ancestral lands of five First Nations peoples. The site was submitted for consideration in 2013. The World Heritage Committee deferred inscription to give the nominators time to improve certain aspects of the bid, while also saying that the Committee needed to improve the nomination process for mixed sites as there were currently structural problems in the process that made approving mixed nominations difficult. In 2016, the Committee was set to inscribe the property on the List, but Canada requested and received a referral after Ontario's Pikangikum First Nation withdrew its support. The site was officially designated a World Heritage Site on July 1, 2018.[18][19][20]
1412 Red Bay Basque Whaling Station Red Bay seen from the harbour. CanadaRed Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
51°43′55″N 56°25′32″W / 51.73194°N 56.42556°W / 51.73194; -56.42556 (Red Bay Basque Whaling Station) 		Cultural:
(iii), (iv) 		313 (770) 2013 Between 1550 and the early 17th century, Red Bay was a major Basque whaling area. The site is home to three Basque whaling galleons and four small chalupas used in the capture of whales. The discovery of these vessels makes Red Bay one of the most precious underwater archaeological sites in the Americas.[21]
1221 Rideau Canal A small canal with a set of locks leading from a river near a large city. CanadaOntario
44°42′11″N 76°17′43″W / 44.70306°N 76.29528°W / 44.70306; -76.29528 (Rideau Canal) 		Cultural:
(i), (iv) 		21,455 (53,020); buffer zone 2,363 (5,840) 2007 The oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, it connects Ottawa, on the Ottawa River, to Kingston, on Lake Ontario. It opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States; designation includes several defensive works in Kingston. The canal is still in use, with much of its original structure intact.[22]
157 SG̱ang Gwaay Clearance in a forest. CanadaBritish Columbia
52°5′42″N 131°13′13″W / 52.09500°N 131.22028°W / 52.09500; -131.22028 (SGang Gwaay) 		Cultural:
(iii) 		— 1981 [23]
354 Waterton Glacier International Peace Park Overlooking a lake from an elevated grassy perch. CanadaAlberta*;
Montana, United States*
49°0′N 113°54′W / 49.000°N 113.900°W / 49.000; -113.900 (Waterton Glacier International Peace Park) 		Natural:
(vii), (ix) 		457,614 (1,130,790) 1995 [24]
256 Wood Buffalo National Park A lake bed with a number of stones in it. CanadaAlberta and Northwest Territories
59°23′N 112°59′W / 59.383°N 112.983°W / 59.383; -112.983 (Wood Buffalo National Park) 		Natural:
(vii), (ix), (x) 		4,480,000 (11,100,000) 1983 [25]
1597 Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai'pi Áísínai'pi writings on stone CanadaAlberta
49°4′30″N 111°37′59″W / 49.07500°N 111.63306°W / 49.07500; -111.63306 (Áísínai'pi) 		Cultural:
iii 		1,106 (2,730) 2019 The site contains the greatest concentration of rock art on the North American Great Plains and is sacred to the Niitsítapi (Blackfoot) people.[26]

Location of sites[]

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Location of World Heritage Sites in Canada

Tentative List[]

The Tentative List is an inventory of important heritage and natural sites that a country is considering for inscription on the World Heritage List. The Tentative List can be updated at any time, but inclusion on the list is a prerequisite to being considered for inscription.[27]

Site Image Location Criteria Area
ha (acre)
 Year of submission Description
Gwaii Haanas Windy Bay forest in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve. CanadaBritish Columbia
52°23′21″N 131°28′16″W / 52.38917°N 131.47111°W / 52.38917; -131.47111 (Gwaii Haanas) 		Mixed:
(iii), (v), (vi), (vii), (ix), (x) 		147,000 (360,000) 2004
 The park reserve contains terrestrial and marine protected areas and is a testament to the rich and living heritage of the Haida people. Site encompasses existing SGang Gwaay site nominated under cultural criterion (iii) in 1981.
Ivvavik / Vuntut / Herschel Island (Qikiqtaruk) Vuntut National Park. CanadaYukon
69°31′11″N 139°31′30″W / 69.51972°N 139.52500°W / 69.51972; -139.52500 (Ivvavik / Vuntut / Herschel Island (Qikiqtaruk)) 		Mixed:
(iv), (v), (vii), (viii), (x) 		1,550,000 (3,800,000) 2004
 The site comprises 15 500 km2 of wilderness on the Yukon coastal plain including important wetlands. As the area was never glaciated, it contains rich archaeological and palaeontological deposits and is a key area in the history of the peopling of the Americas. It is home to 10 per cent of the world’s caribou population.
Quttinirpaaq Gull Glacier ("Hand of God") at Tanquary Fiord opposite to Parks Canada campsite, Quttinirpaaq National Park, Nunavut, Canada. CanadaNunavut
82°13′N 72°13′W / 82.217°N 72.217°W / 82.217; -72.217 (Quttinirpaaq) 		Mixed:
(iii), (vii), (viii), (x) 		3,777,500 (9,334,000) 2004
 Meaning "top of the world", Quttinirpaaq is located in the most northerly part of Canada and encompasses large amounts of Arctic desert, areas of interest to geomorphology and wildlife, and the highest mountain in eastern North America, Mount Barbeau (2,616 m). It also hosts the highest concentrations of pre-contact sites surveyed in the High Arctic, including sites associated with the earliest documented human inhabitants of this remote region.
Tr’ondëk-Klondike Klondikers carrying supplies ascending the Chilkoot Pass, 1898. CanadaYukon
64°N 139°W / 64°N 139°W / 64; -139 (The Klondike) 		Cultural:
(iv), (v) 		2004
 The Klondike site is a serial cultural landscape in First Nations traditional territories, including Native fishing camps, the Chilkoot Trail, the Klondike gold fields and the historic district of Dawson. The site illustrates life before, during and after the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1898, the last and most renowned of the world’s great 19th century gold rushes. The site is intended as a transboundary site with associate Klondike sites in Alaska, however the American components of the proposal, including the historic district of Skagway, are not yet on the American Tentative List.
Heart's Content Cable Station Provincial Historic Site Heart's Content Cable Station CanadaNewfoundland and Labrador
47°52′21.1″N 53°22′7.1″W / 47.872528°N 53.368639°W / 47.872528; -53.368639 (Heart's Content Cable Station) 		Cultural:
(ii), (iv) 		2017[28]
 Heart's Content Cable Station is a former cable landing station served as the western terminus of the first permanent trans-oceanic submarine telegraph cable, while a sister cable station on Valentia Island, Ireland, served as the eastern terminus.[28][29]
Signal Hill Cabot Tower, St. John's CanadaNewfoundland and Labrador
47°34′11″N 52°40′55″W / 47.56972°N 52.68194°W / 47.56972; -52.68194 (Signal Hill) 		Cultural:
(ii), (iv) 		2017[28]
 Signal Hill is a National Historic Site which overlooks the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. On 12 December 1901, the first transatlantic wireless transmission was received by Guglielmo Marconi. Due to its strategic placement overlooking the Narrows, fortifications date back to the mid 17th century.
Torngat Mountains Torngat Mountains CanadaNewfoundland and Labrador
58°53′01″N 63°42′57″W / 58.88361°N 63.71583°W / 58.88361; -63.71583 (Torngat Mountains) 		Natural:
(ii), (iv) 		2017[28]
Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Aphrocallistes vastus found off the coast of Vancouver Island. CanadaBritish Columbia Natural:
(viii), (ix), (x) 		100,000 (250,000) 2018
Stein Valley Blowdown Lake, Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park, British Columbia CanadaBritish Columbia
50°15′26″N 122°0′12″W / 50.25722°N 122.00333°W / 50.25722; -122.00333 (Stein Valley) 		Cultural:
(iii), (vi) 		107,191 (264,870) 2018
Wanuskewin Wanuskewin Heritage Park, near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. CanadaSaskatchewan
52°13′39″N 106°35′47.54″W / 52.22750°N 106.5965389°W / 52.22750; -106.5965389 (Wanuskewin) 		Cultural:
(iii) 		2018
Anticosti Island Chute Vauréal, a large waterfall on Anticosti Island. CanadaQuebec
49°51′42.05″N 64°31′20.01″W / 49.8616806°N 64.5222250°W / 49.8616806; -64.5222250 (Anticosti Island) 		Natural:
(viii) 		928,900 (2,295,000)
(includes littoral area) 		2018
Qajartalik CanadaNunavut
61°19′53.66″N 71°29′58.72″W / 61.3315722°N 71.4996444°W / 61.3315722; -71.4996444 (Qajartalik) 		Cultural:
(iii) 		2018
Sirmilik National Park and the proposed Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area East side of Bylot Island viewed from sea ice in June CanadaNunavut
73°51′7.69″N 83°4′50.128″W / 73.8521361°N 83.08059111°W / 73.8521361; -83.08059111 (Sirmilik National Park and the proposed Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area) 		Mixed:
(v),(ix) 		2018
Yukon Ice Patches CanadaYukon
60°16′49.6″N 135°41′36.6″W / 60.280444°N 135.693500°W / 60.280444; -135.693500 (Yukon Ice Patches) 		Cultural:
(iii), (v) 		2018

[30][31]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Extended in 1990 to include Mount Robson, Hamber and Mount Assiniboine provincial parks.
  2. ^ Extended in 1992 to include the Glacier Bay National Park and in 1994 to include the Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. The name of the site was changed accordingly from Wrangell/St. Elias/Kluane at the time of inscription to Glacier Bay/Wrangell/St. Elias/Kluane in 1992 to the present name in 1994.

See also[]

  • List of Biosphere Reserves in Canada

References[]

  1. ^ The Criteria, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Retrieved on 2011-07-21
  2. ^ "Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Decision - 14COM VII.E - Boundary Modifications: Canadian Rocky Mountains Parks (Canada)". UNESCO. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  4. ^ "Dinosaur Provincial Park". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  5. ^ "Gros Morne National Park". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  6. ^ "Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  7. ^ "Historic District of Old Québec". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  8. ^ "Joggins Fossil Cliffs". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  9. ^ "Kluane / Wrangell-St Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Decision - 16COM X.C - Extension: Glacier Bay National Park - extension of the Wrangell/St.Elias/Kluane site of Canada-USA (United States of America)". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  11. ^ "Decision - 18COM XI - Extension: Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Wilderness Park (extension of the Glacier Bay/Wrangell/St. Elias/Kluane site) (Canada/USA)". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  12. ^ "Landscape of Grand Pré". UNESCO. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  13. ^ "L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  14. ^ "Miguasha National Park". UNESCO. Retrieved 25 August 2021. CC-BY icon.svg Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO (CC BY 3.0 IGO) license.
  15. ^ Eight new sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, UNESCO World Heritage Committee news release, July 17, 2016
  16. ^ "Nahanni National Park". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  17. ^ "Old Town Lunenburg". UNESCO. Retrieved 25 August 2021. CC-BY icon.svg Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO (CC BY 3.0 IGO) license.
  18. ^ UNESCO bid for Manitoba-Ontario boreal forest suffers major blow, CBC News Manitoba, July 17, 2016
  19. ^ Johnson, Rhiannon (1 July 2018). "Newest UNESCO World Heritage Site is boreal forest important to First Nations cultures". CBC News. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  20. ^ "Pimachiowin Aki". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  21. ^ "Red Bay Basque Whaling Station". UNESCO. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  22. ^ "Rideau Canal". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  23. ^ "SGang Gwaay". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  24. ^ "Waterton Glacier International Peace Park". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  25. ^ "Wood Buffalo National Park". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  26. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai'pi". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  27. ^ Glossary, UNESCO, retrieved 2010-01-01
  28. ^ a b c d "World heritage sites in Canada - Canada's Tentative List - Heart's Content Cable Station Provincial Historic Site, Newfoundland and Labrador". Parks Canada. Government of Canada. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  29. ^ "Heart's Content Cable Station latest N.L. nominee for World Heritage Site". CBC News. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  30. ^ "World heritage sites in Canada - Canada's Tentative List". Parks Canada. Government of Canada. 23 January 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  31. ^ "Canada". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
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