Heritage

Timor-Leste has no UNESCO sites. Nearest: Komodo NP in Indonesia (1,000 km west, 1991) — home to the world’s largest lizard. Timor-Leste’s own heritage includes the uma lulik sacred house tradition.

Bhutan has no inscribed UNESCO sites. Tashichho Dzong (in Thimphu) and Taktsang Monastery (65 km west) are the most celebrated examples of the distinctive Bhutanese dzong architectural tradition, on the Tentative List.

Maldives has no UNESCO sites. The Friday Mosque of Malé (1656) is the oldest building in the Maldives. Nearest UNESCO sites are in Sri Lanka (700 km NE); the atolls are critically threatened by sea-level rise.

Guinea-Bissau has no UNESCO sites. Nearest: Stone Circles of Senegambia in Gambia (260 km NE, 2006). Nearby: Bijagós Archipelago — saltwater hippos, sea turtles, Bijagó culture — on Tentative List.

Liberia has no UNESCO sites. Nearest: Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire (600 km east). Within Liberia: Sapo National Park (200 km southeast, pygmy hippo habitat, the largest forest reserve in West Africa after Taï).

Mauritania’s UNESCO site near Nouakchott: the Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata (1996) — 4 Saharan caravan cities with Islamic manuscripts; Chinguetti 700 km east.

Syria has 6 UNESCO sites near Damascus — all on the Danger List since 2013: Ancient City of Damascus (oldest city), Bosra (best Roman theatre, 130 km south), Crac des Chevaliers (350 km NW).

Libya has 5 UNESCO sites near Tripoli — all on the Danger List since 2016: Leptis Magna (130 km east, best-preserved Roman city in North Africa), Sabratha (70 km west), and Ghadamès oasis (600 km SW).

Lesotho has no standalone UNESCO sites but is part of the transboundary Maloti-Drakensberg inscription (2013 extension of uKhahlamba). San rock art sites and the Sani Pass are 150 km from Maseru.