Fanjingshan, an other-worldly peak in China's Wuling Mountain Range, is one of the newest natural wonders to have been added to Unesco's ever-expanding list of World Heritage Sites.

 

梵净山是中国武陵山脉中一处世外桃源般的所在，近日被列入联合国教科文组织《世界遗产名录》，成为一处最新的世界自然遗产。
 

 

The announcement was made last week at the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee in Bahrain. Fanjingshan's addition to the prestigious¹ list means that China now has 13 natural heritage sites (and 53 overall) - more than anywhere else in the world. Australia and the USA both have 12, while the UK has 4.

 

Unesco recognises sites that are considered to have "outstanding universal value" and represent the most remarkable² places on Earth. The list includes other famous attractions such as the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Great Barrier Reef.

 

Speaking of the new status, Song Xiaolu, head of the Chinese Guizhou delegation³ to the World Heritage committee, said: "We will continue to make an effort to protect and manage the natural heritage site of Mount Fanjingshan, and improve its basic infrastructure⁴."

 

The finger-like peak is described by Unesco as an "island of metamorphic rock in a sea of karst," believed to have been formed during the Tertiary period somewhere between 2 million and 65 million years ago.

点击收听单词发音