Kilauea erupting in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
the Grand Canyon in Arizona
Central Park in Manhattan, New York City
the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park, Washington
Yosemite National Park in California
sunrise over the Appalachian Mountains in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
plane over glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska
San Felipe del Morro Fortress in San Juan, Puerto Rico
the Statue of Liberty in New York City, New York
Mount Vernon the plantation and estate mansion of George Washington in Virigina
petrified wood in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Natural Bridge State Beach, California
Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio
cavers standing in the New Discovery Bore Hole of Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
St. Mary's Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana
people crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, New York
Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
adobe architecture in Taos Pueblo, New Mexico
Big Bend National Park in Texas
the Deepsea Challenger submersible dives to the bottom of the Marianas Trench
front view of the Guggenheim Museum near Central park New York
coral reef off the coast of American Samoa Island of Ofu
the lobby of The Rookery Building in Chicago, Illinois
White Sands National Monument in New Mexico
Monks Mound at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois
Giant trees and lush forest in Redwood National Park, California
Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia
ancient Native American ruins, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Ellis Island in the New York Harbor
Everglades National Park, Florida
Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
the Big Room in Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico
a woman snorkeling in the Midway Atoll lagoon, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument
Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia
a boardwalk in the Okefenokee Swamp in Stephen C. Foster State Park, Georgia
the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama
Wake Island
San Jose Mission in San Antonio, Texas
Hopewell Indian Burial Mounds in Ohio
the colonial Moravian quarter of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
a reproduction of the Wright Brothers' hangar and catapult in Dayton, Ohio
Poverty Point National Monument in Louisiana
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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park(Inscribed) Volcanic eruptions are the norm in this Hawaiian park with two of the most active volcanoes worldwide in its backyard consistently reshaping the island’s landscape.
Photograph by Art Wolfe, Getty Images

24 Incredible Photos of U.S. UNESCO Sites: Present and Proposed

Find out which sites are under consideration for the prestigious title and which ones have already made the cut.

ByNational Geographic Staff
June 16, 2017

From the glowing lava flows of Hawaii to the pearly ice fields of Alaska, the United States’ natural and cultural heritage is as vast and diverse as the country itself. The U.S. currently claims 24 UNESCO World Heritage sites, which capture thousands of years of natural history and human innovation. An additional 20 natural and cultural sites ranging from under-the-sea monuments to urban architectural wonders are also vying for the renowned title. Find out which sites have already been inscribed for their “outstanding universal value,” and which tentative sites may join the list soon.

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