UNESCO added several prominent cultural and natural landmarks to its World Heritage List on Sunday, including the D-Day landing beaches in northern France and Mount Olympus in Greece. The decisions were made during a U.N. committee meeting in Busan, South Korea, which is scheduled to continue through Wednesday.
The inclusion of France’s D-Day beaches highlights the historic importance of the coastline tied to World War II. Mount Olympus, long known for its cultural and symbolic significance in Greece, was also among the newly recognized sites.
Other additions announced at the meeting included the ancient Japanese capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara. UNESCO also inscribed South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape, described as hosting one of the world’s largest land mammal migrations.
The latest inscriptions show the wide geographic and historical range of places being considered by UNESCO, from wartime memorial landscapes in Europe to ancient settlements in Japan and major wildlife ecosystems in Africa.
