From the Islands of Tahiti, the Marquesas Islands become a UNESCO World Heritage Site
NEWS
Tahiti Tourisme is excited to announce that Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands has just become a UNESCO World Heritage Site as of Friday, July 26, 2024. I would love to know if you’d be interested in sharing this exciting news in any relevant upcoming content or updates.
Located in the more remote parts of The Islands of Tahiti, the Marquesas Islands form a volcanic archipelago renowned for its rich history and remarkable biodiversity. They are home to archaeological sites and living cultural traditions (wood carving, dance, and music) that bear witness to the heritage of the Marquesan peoples.
The United Nations agency considers them a legacy “whose universal value lies in its cultural as well as its natural riches.”
Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands
Located in the South Pacific Ocean, this mixed serial property bears an exceptional testimony to the territorial occupation of the Marquesas archipelago by a human civilisation that arrived by sea around the year 1000 CE and developed on these isolated islands between the 10th and the 19th centuries. It is also a hotspot of biodiversity that combines irreplaceable and exceptionally well conserved marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Marked by sharp ridges, impressive peaks and cliffs rising abruptly above the ocean, the landscapes of the archipelago are unparalleled in these tropical latitudes. The archipelago is a major centre of endemism, home to rare and diverse flora, a diversity of emblematic marine species, and one of the most diverse seabird assemblages in the South Pacific. Virtually free from human exploitation, Marquesan waters are among the world’s last marine wilderness areas. The property also includes archaeological sites ranging from monumental dry-stone structures to lithic sculptures and engravings.
