Profile Paul Tanner

I am now retired but have been "travelling" since I was 15 and have visited 159 "independent countries" (see Map below) - defined by me as the 192 full UN members plus (somewhat illogically, but they are generally accepted as "sovereign") Taiwan and Holy See. Unfortunately quite a few relatively easily accessible current WHS got "missed" along the way. If only I had known they would get chosen - they are not all obvious choices! Despite the weaknesses in the list and the politics involved in the selection and voting mechanism they provide a quick means of grasping the highlights of many countries and sometimes lead down interesting knowledge and research "avenues" which would otherwise have remain unexplored.
Proposal for a new WHS:- Roca Agostino Neto Cocoa Plantation Sao Tome.
There are just too many European WHS relative to the rest. Little Sao Tome became the world's greatest producer of cocoa under the Portuguese. So poor were the social conditions that Cadbury boycotted Cocoa from there in early 20C. At Roca Agostinho (and other crumbling colonial sites on Sao Tome) you might just get a feeling for the economic system which created it and "fed" Europe with a raw material so often taken for granted - a really atmospheric place. But it isn't even on the "Tentative list"!

Visited WHS:

Reviewed WHS:

Los Glaciares (Argentina)
Peninsula Valdes (Argentina)
Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley (Armenia)
The Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots (Armenia)
Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin (Armenia)
Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape (Azerbaijan)
The Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower (Azerbaijan)
Qal’at al-Bahrain – Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun (Bahrain)
Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat (Bangladesh)
Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur (Bangladesh)
The Sundarbans (Bangladesh)
Belize Barrier-Reef Reserve System (Belize)
Royal Palaces of Abomey (Benin)
The Old City of Mostar (Bosnia Herzegovina)
Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas (Brazil)
Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina (Brazil)
Pantanal Conservation Area (Brazil)
Thracian tomb of Kazanlak (Bulgaria)
Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo (Bulgaria)
Srebarna Nature Reserve (Bulgaria)
Pirin National Park (Bulgaria)
Thracian tomb of Sveshtari (Bulgaria)
Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande (Cape Verde)
The Great Wall (China)
Yungang Grottoes (China)
Mogao Caves (China)
Longmen Grottoes (China)
Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (China)
Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde (China)
South China Karst (China)
Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa (China)
Dazu Rock Carvings (China)
Choirokoitia (Cyprus)
Kronborg Castle (Denmark)
Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church (Denmark)
Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
City of Quito (Ecuador)
Memphis and its Necropolis - the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur (Egypt)
Saint Catherine Area (Egypt)
Lower Valley of the Omo (Ethiopia)
Rock-hewn Churches, Lalibela (Ethiopia)
Lower Valley of the Awash (Ethiopia)
Tiya (Ethiopia)
Harar Jugol (Ethiopia)
From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the production of open-pan salt (France)
Vézelay, Church and Hill (France)
Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France (France)
Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion (France)
Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda (Gabon)
Stone Circles of Senegambia (Gambia)
Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia)
Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia)
Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau (Germany)
Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square (Germany)
Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg (Germany)
Dresden Elbe Valley (Germany)
Monastic Island of Reichenau (Germany)
Muskauer Park/Park Muzakowski (Germany)
Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (Germany)
Mount Athos (Greece)
Archaeological Site of Mystras (Greece)
Archaeological Site of Olympia (Greece)
Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua (Guatemala)
Antigua Guatemala (Guatemala)
National History Park - Citadel, Sans-Souci, Ramiers (Haiti)
Maya Site of Copan (Honduras)
Old Village of Hollókö and its surroundings (Hungary)
Þingvellir National Park (Iceland)
Mountain Railways of India (India)
Ajanta Caves (India)
Ellora Caves (India)
Persepolis (Iran)
Masada (Israel)
Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls (Israel)
Rock Drawings in Valcamonica (Italy)
Quseir Amra (Jordan)
Complex of Koguryo Tombs (Korea (DPR))
Tyre (Lebanon)
Baalbek (Lebanon)
Byblos (Lebanon)
Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna (Libya)
Archaeological Site of Sabratha (Libya)
Archaeological Site of Cyrene (Libya)
Royal Hill of Ambohimanga (Madagascar)
Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Madagascar)
Old Towns of Djenné (Mali)
Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) (Mali)
City of Valetta (Malta)
Megalithic Temples of Malta (Malta)
Ancient ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata (Mauritania)
Banc d'Arguin National Park (Mauritania)
Historic Centre of Zacatecas (Mexico)
Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl (Mexico)
Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco (Mexico)
Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro (Mexico)
Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (Mexico)
Historic Centre of Puebla (Mexico)
Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán (Mexico)
Hospicio Cabañas, Guadalajara (Mexico)
Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines (Mexico)
Historic Monuments Zone of Tlacotalpan (Mexico)
Luis Barragán House and Studio (Mexico)
Historic Centre of Morelia (Mexico)
Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila (Mexico)
Archaeological Monuments Zone of Xochicalco (Mexico)
Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro (Mexico)
Protective town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús de Nazareno de Atotonilco (Mexico)
El Tajin, Pre-Hispanic City (Mexico)
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Mexico)
Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape (Mongolia)
Durmitor National Park (Montenegro)
Historic City of Meknes (Morocco)
Medina of Fez (Morocco)
Royal Chitwan National Park (Nepal)
Ruins of León Viejo (Nicaragua)
Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove (Nigeria)
West Norwegian Fjords - Geirangerfjord and Næerøyfjord (Norway)
Rock Art of Alta (Norway)
The Land of Frankincense (Oman)
The aflaj irrigation system (Oman)
Bahla Fort (Oman)
Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn (Oman)
Arabian Oryx Sanctuary (Oman)
Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo (Panama)
Kuk Early Agricultural Site (Papua New Guinea)
Historic Centre of Lima (Peru)
Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa (Peru)
Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana (Peru)
Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras (Philippines)
Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland (Poland)
Danube Delta (Romania)
Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania (Romania)
Churches of Moldavia (Romania)
Kizhi Pogost (Russia)
Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl (Russia)
Lake Baikal (Russia)
Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow (Russia)
Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin (Russia)
Pitons Management Area (Saint Lucia)
Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) (Saudi Arabia)
Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve (Seychelles)
Aldabra Atoll (Seychelles)
Caves of the Aggtelek and Slovak Karst (Slovakia)
Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (South Africa)
Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) (Spain)
Route of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Sri Lanka)
Ancient City of Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka)
Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications (Sri Lanka)
Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region (Sudan)
Engelsberg Ironworks (Sweden)
Naval Port of Karlskrona (Sweden)
Site of Palmyra (Syria)
Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Syria)
Ancient City of Aleppo (Syria)
Ancient City of Bosra (Syria)
Kilimanjaro National Park (Tanzania)
The Stone Town of Zanzibar (Tanzania)
Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara (Tanzania)
Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba (Togo)
The Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (Turkmenistan)
Kunya-Urgench (Turkmenistan)
State Historical and Cultural Park "Ancient Merv" (Turkmenistan)
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda)
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal (UK)
Gough and Inaccessible Islands (UK)
Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)
Everglades National Park (USA)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (USA)
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (USA)
Pueblo de Taos (USA)
Waterton Glacier International Peace Park (USA)
Samarkand - Crossroads of Cultures (Uzbekistan)
Itchan Kala (Uzbekistan)
Historic Centre of Bukhara (Uzbekistan)
Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz (Uzbekistan)
Canaima National Park (Venezuela)
Historic Town of Zabid (Yemen)
Old City of Sana'a (Yemen)
Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (Zambia)
Khami Ruins National Monument (Zimbabwe)
Matobo Hills (Zimbabwe)

Reviews of Tentative WHS:

Fort Bullen (Gambia)
The Historic Perimeter of Asmara and its Modernist Architecture (Eritrea)
Turaif Quarter in Al-Diriyyah (Saudi Arabia)
Historical Relics in Kaesong (Korea (DPR))
Abijatta Shalla Lakes National Park (Ethiopia)
Barbar Temple (Bahrain)
Saar Heritage Park (Bahrain)
Hamad Town Tumuli Moundfield (Bahrain)
Hawar Islands Reserve (Bahrain)
Burial Ensembles of Dilmun and Tylos (Bahrain)
Pearling and its cultural landscapes in Bahrain (Bahrain)
Lalbagh Fort (Bangladesh)
Mahansthangarh and its Environs (Bangladesh)
The Lalmai-Mainamati Group of monuments (Bangladesh)
Sultanats Historiques des Comores (Comoros)
Ecosystèmes terrestres et paysage culturel de l'Archipel des Comores (Comoros)
Konso-Gardula (paleo-anthropological site) (Ethiopia)
San Luis Potosí on the Mercury and Silver Route of the Intercontinental Camino Real (Mexico)
Gold Route in Parati and its landscape (Brazil)
The Island of Meroe (Sudan)