Kluane / Wrangell–St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek-Yukon

List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada

Canada has 22 World Heritage Sites with a tentative list of 10 sites. In these, two sites are shared with the United States, and the other ten sites are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites for their cultural significance. Exact eleven were listed for their natural significance, and one is listed for both categories. As per the list, Canada has served as a member of the World Heritage Committee four times including 1976–1978, 1985–1991, 1995–2001, and 2005–2009....

1. L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site – Newfoundland and Labrador

L’Anse aux Meadows is an ancient Viking village from the 11th century located at the end of the Great Northern Peninsula. It is the oldest known European settlement in the New World. The village has eight grass-covered houses: three homes, one place for making tools, and four places for fixing ships. The buildings and objects are similar to those found in Greenland and Iceland during the same time. Some small changes were made to the borders of the site in 2017....

2. Nahanni National Park – Northwest Territories

The park is recognized for its amazing land features. The rivers in the park, especially the South Nahanni River, cut deep canyons through the mountains and formed many waterfalls (like Virginia Falls). There are special rock formations called karst, including caves made of limestone. The park is peaceful and is where animals like grizzly bears, wolves, and caribou live in the northern forests....

3. Dinosaur Provincial Park – Alberta

The place is mostly untouched, with a dry grassland and rocky terrain. Scientists found fossils of over 44 types of dinosaurs, including different kinds from the Cretaceous period. They dug up over 150 complete dinosaur skeletons and other ancient remains. These findings help us understand what life was like here 77 to 75 million years ago....

4. Sgang Gwaay – British Columbia

This place protects a village from the 1800s where the Haida people lived on the Haida Gwaii islands near the coast of British Columbia. The area has big wooden houses and some tall wooden poles that were made for remembering people who passed away and for honoring them. These things show the Haida people’s customs and their way of making art....

5. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump – Alberta

The buffalo jump was a traditional way of hunting buffalo by the Plains Native Americans for almost six thousand years. Hunters understood the land and buffalo habits, so they guided buffalo herds towards paths that led to a cliff, causing the buffalo to fall and die. This site is a notable example of this hunting method. Afterward, the buffalo carcasses were cut up and prepared at a camp below. A small change to the site’s borders happened in 2021....

6. Wood Buffalo National Park – Alberta, Northwest Territories

The park covers large areas of grass and sedge meadows, boreal forests, lakes, rivers, and the world’s largest inland delta, the Peace–Athabasca Delta. There are also salt plains and gypsum karst features. It is home to North America’s largest population of wild bison, and is a breeding ground for the endangered whooping crane....

7. Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks – Alberta, British Columbia

Seven national parks in the Canadian Rockies, two more were added in 1990, show beautiful mountains with glaciers, icy fields, high meadows, caves, lakes, and waterfalls. The Burgess Shale formation, a significant collection of fossils, is found here. It holds the remains of soft-bodied animals from a long time ago, which helps us understand how different types of animals evolved....

8. Historic District of Old Québec – Quebec

The old part of Quebec was built by the French in the 1600s as the main city of New France. Later, the British improved it from the 1760s onwards. This area shows how Europeans settled in North America over time. It has a well-kept city center and strong walls with defensive features, which are rare north of Mexico....

9. Gros Morne National Park – Newfoundland and Labrador

The park shows how the Earth’s plates move and shift with its deep ocean crust and rocks from the Earth’s lower layer. The beautiful wilderness area has freshwater lakes and rocky cliffs formed by glaciers, making it even more stunning....

10. Kluane / Wrangell–St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek-Yukon

The four big parks and protected areas between the United States and Canada have the world’s biggest ice field apart from the poles and many large ice rivers. This area, shaped by icy movements and moving earth’s crust, has different types of homes for animals, from tall mountains over 16,000 ft (5,000 m) to ocean, forests near the coast, and valleys with rivers. Important animals here include big brown bears, caribou, Dall sheep, and mountain goats....

List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada – FAQs

How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are there in Canada?...