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, 936 sites are listed: 725 cultural, 183 natural, and 28 mixed properties, in 153 States Parties. Italy is home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites to date with 66 sites inscribed on the list, followed by Spain. UNESCO references each World Heritage Site with an identification number; but new inscriptions often include previous sites now listed as part of larger descriptions. As a result, the identification numbers exceed 1200 even though there are fewer on the list.
While each World Heritage Site remains part of the legal territory of the state wherein the site is located, UNESCO considers it in the interest of the international community to preserve each site.
The cost of the project was US$ 80 million, about $ 40 million of which was collected from 50 countries. The project was regarded as a success, and led to other safeguarding campaigns, saving Venice and its lagoon in Italy, the ruins of Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan, and the Borobodur Temple Compounds in Indonesia. UNESCO then initiated, with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a draft convention to protect the common cultural heritage of humanity.
A single text was agreed on by all parties, and the ''Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage'' was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972.
At this point, the file is evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union. These bodies then make their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. The Committee meets once per year to determine whether or not to inscribe each nominated property on the World Heritage List, and sometimes defers the decision to request more information from the country who nominated the site. There are ten selection criteria – a site must meet at least one of them to be included on the list.
There are 936 World Heritage Sites located in 153 States Party. Of these, 725 are cultural, 183 are natural and 28 are mixed properties. The World Heritage Committee has divided the countries into five geographic zones: Africa, Arab States (composed of Middle East and North Africa), Asia-Pacific (includes Australia and Oceania), Europe & North America (includes Canada and the United States) and Latin America & Caribbean.
Russia and the Caucasus states are classified as European, while Mexico is classified as belonging to the Latin America & Caribbean zone, despite its location in North America. The UNESCO geographic zones also give greater emphasis on administrative, rather than geographic associations. Hence, Gough Island, located in the South Atlantic, is part of the Europe & North America region because the government the United Kingdom nominated the site.
The table below includes a breakdown of the sites according to these zones and their classification:
| style="width: 30%;" | Zone | |||||
align=left>Americas| America & Europe | |
463 | 93| | 13 | 569< | |
| align=left>Asia-Pacific | 138| | 52 | 9 | 199 < | ||
| align=left>Africa | 42| | 33 | 4 | 79 | ||
| align=left | Arab States | 61| | 4 | 1 | 66 | |
| Total | 704| | 182 | 27 | 913 |
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