The ongoing 28th Session of the World Heritage Committee has approved a total of 34 items out of the 48 nominated to be inscribed on the World Heritage List, updating the total number of world heritage properties at 788.

Chairman of the Session Zhang Xinsheng, who is Chinese vice-minister of education, announced the news at a press conference in Suzhou Friday shortly after emerging from the meeting which completed the agenda of examining and approving new world heritage sites in the past three days, Andora, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iceland, Saint Lucia and Togo made their first appearance on the World Heritage List as a result of the approval, Zhang said.

"The World Heritage List is of wider range of representation today," he said.

The 34 new heritage sites include five natural sites, including Ilulissat Icefjord of Denmark, Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra of Indonesia, Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve Russian Federation of Russian Federation, Pitons Management Area of Saint Lucia and Cape Floral Region of South Africa.

The 29 cultural sites are: Tomb of Askia of Mali, Portuguese City of Mazagan (El Jadida) of Morocco, Koutammakou-the Land of the Batammariba of Togo, Madriu-Claror-Perafita Valley of Andorra, Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens of Australia, Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom of China, Complex of Koguryo Tombs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park of India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Station (formerly Victoria Terminus) of India, Pasargadae of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range of Japan, Um er-Rasas (Kastron Mefa'a) of Jordan, Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly of Kazakhstan, Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape of Mongolia, the Vega Archipelago of Norway, Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent of the Russian Federation, the Dresden Elbe Valley of Germany, the Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen of Germany, Muskauer Park/Park Muzakowski of Germany and Poland, Pingvellir National Park of Iceland, Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia of Italy, the Landscape of Val d'Orcia of Italy, Kernave Archeological Site (Cultural Reserveof Kernave) of Lithuania, Luis Barragn House and Studio of Mexico, landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture of Portugal, Decani Monastery of Serbia and Montenegro, Varberg Radio Station of Sweden, Liverpool-Maritime Mercantile City of United Kingdom and the Bam Cultural Landscape of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran's Bam Cultural Landscape was also inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The World Heritage Committee also decided to make six extensions to the World Heritage List, including:

-- St Kilda of the United Kingdom, which was first inscribed as a natural site in 1986.

-- The 14 square kms Inaccessible Island was added to the GoughIsland Wildlife Reserve, first inscribed in 1995.

-- The Area de Conservacin Guanacaste of Costa Rica inscribed in 1999, was extended with the addition of a 15,000-ha private property, St Elena.

-- The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang of Chinahas been inscribed as an extension of the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties inscribed in 1987.

--The Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties of China, represents the addition of three Imperial Tombs of the Qing Dynasty in Liaoning to the Ming tombs inscribed in 2000 and 2003.

-- Two great Chola Temples of the 11th and 12th centuries in Inida have been added to the 11th century Brihadisvara temple of Thanjavur, inscribed in 1987.
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2004)