Area

Natural

Cultural

Mixed

Total

  Africa

34

48

4

86

  Arab States

4

67

2

73

  Asia and the Pacific

54

148

10

212

  Europe and North America

61

393

10

464

  Latin America and the Caribbean

35

89

3

127

  Total

188

745

29

962

The World Heritage Committee
The World Heritage Convention is managed by the “World Heritage Committee” which consists of representatives from 21 of the States Parties to the Convention elected by their General Assembly for a term of 4- 6 years.

What the Convention contains
The Convention defines the kind of natural or cultural sites which can be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List.  The Convention sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them.

Criteria for Selection
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. These criteria are explained in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention which, besides the text of the Convention, is the main working tool on World Heritage.

Tentative List
Tentative Lists of all States Parties submitted in conformity with the Operational Guidelines. Out of 187 States Parties to the Convention, 166 have submitted a Tentative List.