This Alligator-Infested Swamp in the American South Just Joined the UNESCO World Heritage List, Along With the Home of the Greek Gods

The 25 new locations, determined to bear “outstanding universal value” for the world, also include the D-Day landing site in Normandy, France

Christian Thorsberg | Daily Correspondent

July 28, 2026 5:05 p.m.

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The site where the Buddha delivered his first sermon, Japan’s early capital cities and the mountain where the gods dwelled according to Greek mythology are among the 25 newly named UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the United Nations announced this week.

This year’s inscribed locations were selected from 33 nominations. A majority of the chosen sites, 19, were honored as “cultural properties” for their historical, religious or artistic significance. Five were recognized under the “natural property” category, given to ecosystems and natural areas, while the wider realm of Mount Olympus was selected under the “mixed property” label, for its biodiverse Mediterranean landscapes and cultural significance.

“From today, the mythical Olympus becomes a mountain for all humankind, which must be protected forever,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says in a statement, Euronews’ Konstantinos Tsellos reports. “UNESCO’s unanimous decision to inscribe it on the list of World Heritage Sites is a national achievement of the highest order.”

Gaining status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to the committee’s criteria for selection, is an honor reserved only for sites determined to bear “outstanding universal value.” With this year’s additions, there are now 1,273 World Heritage Sites across 173 states.

Two of the newest selections have direct relevance for the United States.

One is the Okefenokee Swamp in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge that spans parts of both Georgia and Florida. The large, lowland, freshwater peatland is one of the biggest and most intact North American Coastal Plain ecosystems, per UNESCO, home to many species of plants and animals, including alligators. The wetland preserves some 5,000 years of environmental records in its layers of peat.

Meanwhile, the beaches of Normandy, France—where more than 150,000 Allied troops, including Americans, landed on June 6, 1944, to liberate western Europe from Nazi occupation—also gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

“It’s probably the greatest amphibious landing there’s ever been,” historian David Edgerton says, per the Associated Press’ Kim Tong-Hyung. “It ought to be remembered for that alone.”

The D-Day beaches area retains remnants from the landing and ensuing battle, including artillery batteries, as well as the American Cemetery at Colleville‑sur‑Mer.

“Together, these elements form an exceptional cultural landscape shaped both by the events of 1944 and by their enduring remembrance,” UNESCO says in a statement.

Other locations inscribed by UNESCO this week span thousands of years, including:

• Sarnath, India, where the Buddha was believed to have delivered his first sermon to his earliest disciples in the sixth century B.C.E.
• Asuka and Fujiwara, which from the late sixth century C.E. to the early eighth century C.E. served as Japan’s capital cities
• Aalto Works, 13 buildings built in Finland between 1928 and 1988 that epitomize modern architecture that meets social needs

Christian Thorsberg | Read More

Christian Thorsberg is an environmental writer and photographer from Chicago. His work, which often centers on freshwater issues, climate change and subsistence, has appeared in Circle of Blue, Sierra magazine, Discover magazine and Alaska Sporting Journal.