Brazilian dunes dotted with dazzling pools make UNESCO heritage list / Photo: © AFP/File
-
Despondent Verstappen says Red Bull woes 'not sustainable'
-
Piastri says Japan second place 'as good as a win' for McLaren
-
Nepal's former energy minister arrested in graft probe
-
IOC reinstating gender tests 'a disrespect for women' - Semenya
-
Youngest F1 title leader Antonelli to keep 'raising bar' after Japan win
-
High hopes at China's gateway to North Korea as trains resume
-
Antonelli wins in Japan to become youngest F1 championship leader
-
Mercedes' Antonelli wins Japanese Grand Prix to take lead
-
Germany's WWII munitions a toxic legacy on Baltic Sea floor
-
Iran claims aluminium plant attacks in Gulf as Houthis join war
-
North Korea's Kim oversees test of high-thrust engine: state media
-
Five Apple anecdotes as iPhone maker marks 50 years
-
'Excited' Buttler rejuvenated for IPL after horror T20 World Cup
-
Ship insurers juggle war risks for perilous Gulf route
-
Helplines buzz with alerts from seafarers trapped in war
-
Let's get physical: Singapore's seniors turn to parkour
-
Indian tile makers feel heat of Mideast war energy crunch
-
At 50, Apple confronts its next big challenge: AI
-
Houthis missile attacks on Israel widen Middle East war
-
Massive protests against Trump across US on 'No Kings' day
-
Struggling Force lament missed opportunities after Chiefs defeat
-
Lakers guard Doncic gets one-game ban for accumulated technicals
-
Houthis claim missile attacks on Israel, entering Middle East war
-
NBA Spurs stretch win streak to eight in rout of Bucks
-
US lose 5-2 to Belgium in rude awakening for World Cup hosts
-
Sabalenka sinks Gauff to win second straight Miami Open title
-
Lebanon kids struggle to keep up studies as war slams school doors shut
-
Cherry blossoms, kite-flying and 'No Kings' converge on Washington
-
Britain's Kerr to target El Guerrouj's mile world record
-
Sailboats carrying aid reach Cuba after going missing: AFP journalist
-
Pakistan to host Saudi, Turkey, Egypt for talks on Mideast war
-
Formidable Sinner faces Lehecka for second Miami Open title
-
Tuchel plays down Maguire's World Cup hopes
-
'Risky moment': Ukraine treads tightrope with Gulf arms deals
-
Japan strike late to win Scotland friendly
-
India great Ashwin joining San Francisco T20 franchise
-
Israel hits Iran naval research site, fresh blasts rattle Tehran
-
Kohli fires Bengaluru to big win after IPL remembers stampede dead
-
Graou shines as Toulouse sink Montpellier, Pau climb to second in Top 14
-
Vingegaard nears Tour of Catalonia victory with stage six win
-
Malinin bounces back from Olympic meltdown with third straight world skating gold
-
French police foil Paris bomb attack outside US bank
-
Senegal parade AFCON trophy at Stade de France, despite being stripped of title
-
Graou shines as Toulouse sink Montpellier to extend Top 14 lead
-
Anti-Trump protests launch on 'No Kings' day in US
-
Protesters rally in London against UK far-right rise
-
France foils Paris bomb attack outside US bank
-
Indian Premier League cricket season begins with silence to honour stampede dead
-
Missing Cuba-bound aid boats located, crew reported safe
-
Ignore our celebrations, we respect Bosnian team, says Italy's Dimarco
Brazilian dunes dotted with dazzling pools make UNESCO heritage list
Brazil's Lencois Maranhenses National Park, famed for its white dunes that fill with blue and emerald lagoons in the rainy season, was on Friday declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The vast park, named for the dunes' resemblance to a bedsheet spread across the landscape -- "lencois" means sheets in Portuguese -- is located in the northeastern state of Maranhao, in a transition zone between the Amazon, Cerrado, and Caatinga biomes.
The decision was taken during the 46th annual meeting of the United Nations World Heritage Committee, which is taking place in India's capital New Delhi.
Lencois Maranhenses is the 24th site in Brazil to make it onto the list of places of significant cultural or natural significance.
The national park was created in June 1981 and covers an area of 156,000 hectares, more than half of which offers a landscape of dunes and multi-colored lagoons, which attract more than 100,000 tourists each year.
According to UNESCO, it is the largest expanse of dunes in South America.
The Lencois Maranhenses are a protected area "where the desert meets the sea, creating a unique landscape," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a letter sent in early 2023 to UNESCO to urge the site's inscription as a World Heritage Site.
The park has also hosted several Hollywood film shoots.
S.Keller--BTB
