KRAKOW, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The 41st World Heritage Committee meeting here came to a close on Wednesday, with the committee inscribing 21 new sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
The 21 new sites include three natural sites, among which was Qinghai Hoh Xil in China, and 18 cultural sites, including China's Gulangyu historic international settlement.
The new inscriptions bring the total number of sites on the World Heritage List of the UN's educational, scientific, and cultural organization to 1,073, 52 of which are sites on China's mainland.
Angola and Eritrea's sites made the list for the first time in history.
According to the UNESCO website, the committee also extended or modified the boundaries of five sites already on the list. Moreover, one was added and three sites were removed from the list of world heritage sites in danger.
Close to 2,000 delegates from 126 countries attended the committee session in Krakow. The committee did not elect a host for its next session in 2018. This decision is expected to be taken mid-November.
The World Heritage Committee, which meets once a year, is responsible for the World Heritage Convention. The committee determines how the World Heritage Fund is used, allocates financial assistance, and decides whether a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List.
The 41st World Heritage Committee was held from July 2 to 12 in Poland, the first time the country has hosted a UNESCO session. Enditem
