The United Nations’ UNESCO agency recently announced 24 major additions to its list of World Heritage Sites. It’s a designation that helps preserve landmarks and places — some 1,223 of them in 168 countries — that are of such cultural, educational or scientific importance, they “belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located,” the agency says.

This year’s additions include architectural marvels, biodiverse lagoons and archaeological sites that date back 162,000 years. It’s a fascinating list that includes everything from Nelson Mandela legacy sites in South Africa to the northern frontier of the Roman Empire in what is now Romania, an area that includes ancient fortresses, watch towers and encampments and buildings in the Roman province of Dacia.

The Flow Country — a vast bog peatland — in Northern Scotland made the list, as did the stunning Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia and a Malaysian cave complex in Niah National Park.

Find the full list and more information about what makes these places so significant at https://whc.unesco.org.

• Beijing Central Axis, China

• Brancusi Monumental Ensemble of Targu Jiu, Romania

• Cultural landscape of Kenozero Lake, Russia

• Frontiers of the Roman Empire, Romania

• Hegmataneh, Iran

• Nelson Mandela legacy sites, South Africa

• Melka Kunture and Balchit, Ethiopia

• Moidams, India

• Phu Phrabat Bat Historical Park, Thailand

• Royal Court of Tiébélé, Burkina Faso

• Sado Island Gold Mines, Japan

• Saint Hilarion Monastery / Tell Umm Amer, Palestine

• Schwerin Residence Ensemble, Germany

• Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex, Malaysia

• Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area, Saudi Arabia

• Pleistocene Occupation Sites, South Africa

• Historic Town and Archeological Site of Gedi, Kenya

• Umm Al-Jimal, Jordan

• Via Appia, Italy

• Badain Jaran Desert, China

• Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil

• The Flow Country, United Kingdom

• Vjetrenica Cave, Ravno, Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Te Henua Enata, The Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia