List of World Heritage Sites in Canada

Old Québec

Rocky Mountain Parks

Dinosaur

Gros Morne

Head-Smashed-In

Old Québec

Joggins

Kluane

Tatshenshini-Alsek

Grand-Pré

L'Anse aux Meadows

Miguasha

Mistaken Point

Nahanni

Lunenburg

Pimachiowin Aki

Red Bay

Rideau Canal

SG̱ang Gwaay

Waterton-Glacier

Wood Buffalo

Writing-on-Stone

Tr’ondëk-Klondike

Anticosti

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Location of World Heritage Sites in Canada

TheUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)World Heritage Sitesare places of importance toculturalornatural heritageas described in the UNESCOWorld Heritage Convention,established in 1972.Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation, or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage.Canadaaccepted the convention on 23 July 1976.There are 22 World Heritage Sites in Canada, with a further 10 on the tentative list.

The first two sites in Canada added to the list wereL'Anse aux MeadowsandNahanni National Park Reserve,both at the Second Session of theWorld Heritage Committee,held inWashington, D.C.,in 1978.The most recent sites listed wereTr’ondëk-KlondikeandAnticosti,both in 2023.Two sites are shared with the United States. Ten sites are listed for their cultural significance, eleven for natural significance, and one,Pimachiowin Aki,is listed for both. Canada has served as a member of the World Heritage Committee four times: 1976–1978, 1985–1991, 1995–2001, and 2005–2009.

World Heritage Sites

UNESCO lists sites underten criteria;each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.

* Transnational site

World Heritage Sites

Site	Image	Location	Year listed	UNESCO data	Description
L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site		Newfoundland and Labrador	1978	4bis; iv (cultural)	L'Anse aux Meadows is an 11th-centuryVikingsettlement at the tip of theGreat Northern Peninsula,and is the earliest documented European settlement in the New World. The complex contains eightturf houses:three dwellings, one forge, and four workshops used for ship repair. The architecture and artifacts are in the same style as those fromNorse Greenlandand Iceland from the same period. A minor boundary modification of the site took place in 2017.
Nahanni National Park		Northwest Territories	1978	24; vii, viii (natural)	The park is listed for its outstanding geomorphological features. The rivers of the park, in particular theSouth Nahanni River,carved deep canyons through the mountain ranges and created several waterfalls (Virginia Fallspictured). There arekarstlandforms, includinglimestonecave systems. The park is undisturbed and is home to animals of boreal forests, includinggrizzly bear,wolf,andcaribou.
Dinosaur Provincial Park		Alberta	1979	71; vii, viii (natural)	The area is a practically undisturbed semi-arid steppe withbadlandstopography. Fossils of more than 44 species, 34 genera, and 10 families ofdinosaurshave been discovered in the park, representing every known group ofCretaceousdinosaurs. More than 150 complete skeletons have been unearthed, together with several non-dinosaur fossils. They provide insight into the life in the area 77 to 75 million years ago.
SG̱ang Gwaay		British Columbia	1981	157; iii (cultural)	This site preserves a 19th-century village of theHaida peopleon theHaida Gwaiiarchipelago off theBritish Columbia Coast.The site comprises the remains of large cedarlonghousesand several carved mortuary and memorialtotem poles(some examples pictured). They illustrate the art and traditions of the Haida people.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump		Alberta	1981	158bis; vi (cultural)	Buffalo jumpwas a traditional way of huntingbisonby thePlains Indiansover nearly six millennia. Knowing the topography and bison behavior, the hunters directed bison herds into drive lanes that ended at a cliff, resulting in bison falling to their deaths. This site is one of the prominent examples of this tradition. The bison carcasses were then butchered and processed at a camp below. A minor modification of the site boundaries took place in 2021.
Wood Buffalo National Park		Alberta,Northwest Territories	1983	256; vii, ix, x (natural)	The park covers large areas of grass andsedgemeadows, boreal forests, lakes, rivers, and the world's largest inland delta, thePeace–Athabasca Delta.There are also salt plains andgypsumkarst features. It is home to North America's largest population of wildbison,and is a breeding ground for the endangeredwhooping crane.
Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks		Alberta,British Columbia	1984	304bis; vii, viii (natural)	Seven national parks in theCanadian Rockies,two of which were added to the site in 1990, exhibit mountain landscapes of exceptional natural beauty, with glaciers, ice fields, alpine meadows, cave systems, lakes, and waterfalls. TheBurgess Shaleformation, one of the world's most important fossil assemblies, is located here. It preserves the remains of soft-bodied animals dating to theCambrianperiod, providing key insight into the development of major animalphyla.
Historic District of Old Québec		Quebec	1985	300; iv, vi (cultural)	Founded by the French in the 17th century as the capital ofNew Franceand then developed by the British after the 1760s, the old part of Quebec illustrates different stages of European colonial settlement in North America. In addition to the well-preserved urban centre, thefortifications of the city,withbastions,ramparts,and other defensive structures, are unique north of Mexico.
Gros Morne National Park		Newfoundland and Labrador	1987	419; vii, viii (natural)	With deep ocean crust and rocks of theEarth's mantlelying exposed, the park illustrates plate tectonics andcontinental drift.Landlocked freshwater fjords and glacier-scoured headlands in an ocean setting contribute to the natural beauty of this wilderness area.
Kluane / Wrangell–St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek*		Yukon	1992	72ter; vii, viii, ix, x (natural)	The four national parks and protected areas spanning the border between the United States and Canada contain the world's largest non-polarice fieldand numerous largeglaciers.The area, shaped by glacial and continuous tectonic activity, comprises different types of habitats, from high mountains above 16,000 ft (5,000 m) to ocean, coastal forests, and river valleys. Some of the important animal species includegrizzly bear,caribou,Dall sheep,andmountain goat.The rivers are spawning grounds forsalmonthat then migrate to the ocean.Glacier Bay(US) was originally listed alone in 1979.Kluane(Canada, pictured) andWrangell–St. Elias(US) were added to the site in 1992, andTatshenshini-Alsek(Canada) in 1994.
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park*		Alberta	1995	354rev; vii, ix (natural)	This site comprises theWaterton Lakes National Park(pictured) in Canada and theGlacier National Parkin the US. Both parks are known for their outstanding scenic beauty due to mountains and glacial landforms. The park straddles theContinental Divideand includes theTriple Divide Peak.The mountains meet theprairiewithout intervening foothills and the geography allowed the animal and plant species typical ofPacific Northwestto spread inland. This resulted in a high number of animal and plant species present in a small area.
Old Town Lunenburg		Nova Scotia	1995	741; iv, v (cultural)	Founded by the British in 1753, Lunenburg is the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America. The grid plan from the 18th century has been preserved, as well as some of the wooden buildings from that period. The community is based on the offshore Atlantic fishery.
Miguasha National Park		Quebec	1999	686rev; viii (natural)	The park encompasses parts of theEscuminac Formation,ageological formationdating to theDevonianperiod 370 million years ago. It is an exceptional paleontologist site, yielding large numbers of exceptionally well-preserved fossils of fish, in particular thelobe-finned fishthat later gave rise to thetetrapods.Invertebrate and plant fossils have been found at the site as well.
Rideau Canal		Ontario	2007	1221; i, iv (cultural)	The oldest continuously operatedcanalsystem in North America, with much of its original structure intact, connectsOttawa,on theOttawa River,toKingston,onLake Ontario.It opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States, allowing the transit of steam-powered ships. The site includes severaldefensive works in Kingston.The Ottawa Locks atColonel By Valleyare pictured.
Joggins Fossil Cliffs		Nova Scotia	2008	1285; viii (natural)	The site at Joggins has produced one of the best fossil records from theCarboniferousperiod, in particular from 318 to 303 million years ago. During that time, the area was covered by rainforests, the remains of which are the main sources of today's coal. In addition to plant fossils (alycopsidpictured), the remains of the earliestamniotesillustrate the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates.
Landscape of Grand Pré		Nova Scotia	2012	1404; v, vi (cultural)	Thecultural landscapewas shaped by theAcadians,descendants of the French settlers, in the 17th and 18th centuries. Using dyke-building techniques calledaboiteau,the farmers reclaimed salt marshes from the tidal areas and repurposed them for agricultural use. The water management system remains in use in the present day. The site is also inscribed as a memorial to the Acadian way of life and their deportation, which started in 1755, known as theGrand Dérangement.
Red Bay Basque Whaling Station		Newfoundland and Labrador	2013	1412; iii, iv (cultural)	TheBasque whaling stationwas founded in the 1530s and was used for about 70 years. It provided support for hunting and processing of whales to producewhale oilfor sale in Europe. With the archaeological remains illustrating different stages of the pre-industrial whaling process, Red Bay is the best preserved station from that period.
Mistaken Point		Newfoundland and Labrador	2016	1497; viii (natural)	The reserve is home to the namesakeMistaken Point Formation,which contains one of the most diverse and well-preserved collections ofPrecambrianfossilsin the world.Ediacaran fossils,dating from 580-560 million years ago, constitute the oldest known remnants ofmulticellular lifeon Earth.
Pimachiowin Aki		Manitoba,Ontario	2018	1415rev; iii, vi, ix (mixed)	Thecultural landscapeof Pimachiowin Aki is the ancestral home of fourAnishinaabeFirst Nationscommunities, thePoplar River,Little Grand Rapids,Pauingassi,andBloodvein.It comprises a network of habitation sites, ceremonial sites, trade routes, and waterways. From the natural perspective, the area represents the largest example of the North Americanboreal shield,with animals such asmoose,wolf,wolverine,andlake sturgeon.
Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi		Alberta	2019	1597; iii (cultural)	Thecultural landscapeconsisting ofprairieandcouleehabitats is sacred to theBlackfootpeople. For millennia, people carved rock art with spiritual meaning on the sandstonehoodoosalong theMilk River,with the oldest carvings being around 3,000 years old.
Tr’ondëk-Klondike		Yukon	2023	1564; iv (cultural)	The discovery of gold and the subsequentgold rushat the end of the 19th century brought tens of thousands of prospectors to Klondike (a historical photo fromChilkoot Passin 1898 is pictured). The interactions between the newcomers and the indigenous Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people resulted in a uniquecultural landscapewith camps, towns, and mining infrastructure.
Anticosti		Quebec	2023	1686; viii (natural)	The fossil assemblies at Anticosti Island date from the lateOrdovicianto earlySilurianperiods, 450 to 435 million years ago. They offer an exceptional insight in the succession of marine life over 15 million years, including the near disappearance of marine species in theLate Ordovician mass extinction.

Tentative list

In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.Canada lists 10 properties on its tentative list.

Tentative sites

Site	Image	Location	Year listed	UNESCO criteria	Description
Gwaii Haanas		British Columbia	2004	iii, v, vi, vii, ix, x (mixed)	This nomination comprises parts of theHaida Gwaiiarchipelago. It includes theSG̱ang GwaayWorld Heritage Site, two otherHaidavillages, and natural areas. The islands are covered by old-growthtemperate rainforest(example pictured) and surrounded by the sea which is home toporpoise,orca,andsea lion.The islands are also an important stopover for migratory birds.
Ivvavik/Vuntut/Herschel Island(Qikiqtaruk)		Yukon	2004	iv, v, vii, viii, x (mixed)	Two national parks (Vuntut pictured) and an arctic island are rich in wildlife. They are home to three species of bear,Dall sheep,moose,and large herds ofcaribou.This is the home of theInuvialuitand Vuntut people. As the area was not glaciated during theLast Glacial Maximum,it formed a part of theBeringialand bridge, with numerous archaeological assemblies testifying thesettlement of the Americas.
Quttinirpaaq		Nunavut	2004	iii, vii, viii, x (mixed)	Encompassing the northernmost part of Canada, the park comprises mountains, glaciers, ice shelves, and fyords. The polar desert supports populations ofmuskox,arctic hare,wolf,andPeary caribou.As demonstrated by the archaeological sites, the area has been occupied by different cultures for over four millennia, including thepre-Dorset,DorsetandThule people.
Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area		British Columbia	2018	viii, ix, x (natural)	Sponge reefswere common in theJurassicandCretaceousperiods but are now rare. The reefs inHecate StraitandQueen Charlotte Soundare considered to be the world's largest living reefs of that type. The sponge colonies are estimated to be 9,000 years old. The reefs provide shelter to juvenile fish on otherwise featureless seabed. Acloud spongeis pictured.
Qajartalik		Quebec	2018	iii (cultural)	Qajartalik is apetroglyphsite of theDorset culture.The Dorset people inhabited the Canadian Arctic until about 1000 CE and they disappeared before the arrival of theThuleInuit.The site contains about 180 carvings that depict human and zoomorphic faces.
Sirmilik National ParkandTallurutiup Imanga (proposed) National Marine Conservation Area		Nunavut	2018	v, ix (mixed)	The landscape in the high Arctic is defined by ice; however,Lancaster Soundis ice-free most of the year. The open water areas at the edge of ice packs,polynyas,provide shelter for marine mammals and birds, and have been integral for the survival of the peoples that have inhabited the area over the last three millennia.
Stein Valley		British Columbia	2018	iii, vi (cultural)	Thecultural landscapeof the Stein Valley is connected to theNlakaʼpamuxpeople and their way of life. They relied on the nature for foods, medicines, and materials. There are numerous trail networks, pictogram sites, resource-gathering locations, and sacred sites. The valley prominently features in the Nlakaʼpamux creation stories and oral traditions.
Wanuskewin		Saskatchewan	2018	iii (cultural)	Opimihaw Creek (pictured) is a tributary to theSouth Saskatchewan River.Due to its unique topography with deep valleys in otherwise flatprairies,it has been used by theGreat Plainspeoples for over six millennia. The valley was used asbuffalo jump,for habitation, to gather plants, and to access fresh water. There are several archaeological sites in this relatively small area.
Yukon Ice Patches		Yukon	2018	iii, v (cultural)	The ice patches in Yukon have been first discovered in 1997. They are different thanglaciersas, unlike the latter, they do not move downhill. First Nations peoples were hunting caribou and sheep in the area and the ice has preserved hunting weapons and other tools from otherwise perishable materials, illustrating the technology of these nomadic hunters. The oldest tools have been dated to be about 7,500 years old.
Transatlantic Cable Ensemble (Canada)*		Newfoundland and Labrador	2022	ii, iv (cultural)	This nomination comprises the two termini of the world's first permanenttransatlantic telegraph cable,which revolutionized the long-distance communication. The eastern terminus, the Valentia Transatlantic Cable Station in Ireland, was built in 1868, while the western terminus, the Heart's Content Cable Station (pictured), was finished in 1876. The sites were closed in the 1960s but still preserve a lot of intact original equipment.

See also

• List of Biosphere Reserves in Canada
• National Historic Sites of Canada