South African World Heritage Sites

To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The criteria are regularly revised by the World Heritage Committee to reflect the evolution of the World Heritage concept itself.

Until the end of 2004, World Heritage sites were selected on the basis of six cultural and four natural criteria. With the adoption of the revised Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, only one set of ten criteria exists.

For a full list of selection criteria, click here.

The eight South African World Heritage Sites are:

• Vredefort Dome
• Fossil hominid sites of Sterkforntein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and environs
• uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park
• Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape
• Cape Floral Region Protected Areas
• Robben Island
• iSimangaliso Wetland Park (former Greater St Lucia Wetland Park)
• Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape