List of World Heritage Sites in Palau

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Palau accepted the convention on June 11, 2002, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2023, Palau has only one World Heritage Site.

Location of sites

Rock Islands Southern Lagoon

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Location of World Heritage Sites in Palau

List of sites

Name	Image	Location	Criteria	Year	Description
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon		Koror 7.233333°N 134.3°E / 7.233333; 134.3 (Rock Islands Southern Lagoon)	Mixed (iii) (v) (vii) (ix) (x)	2012	Rock Islands Southern Lagoon covers 100,200 ha and includes 445 uninhabited limestone islands of volcanic origin. Many of them display unique mushroom-like shapes in turquoise lagoons surrounded by coral reefs. The aesthetic beauty of the site is heightened by a complex reef system featuring over 385 coral species and different types of habitat. They sustain a large diversity of plants, birds and marine life including dugong and at least thirteen shark species. The site harbours the highest concentration of marine lakes anywhere, isolated bodies of seawater separated from the ocean by land barriers. They are among the islands’ distinctive features and sustain high endemism of populations which continue to yield new species discoveries. The remains of stonework villages, as well as burial sites and rock art, bear testimony to the organization of small island communities over some three millennia. The abandonment of the villages in the 17th and 18th centuries illustrates the consequences of climate change, population growth and subsistence behaviour on a society living in a marginal marine environment.

Tentative List

Site	Image	Location	Criteria	Area ha (acre)	Year of submission	Description
Ouballang ra Ngebedech (Ngebedech Terraces)		Ngiwal 7°26′13″N 134°29′34″E	Cultural (ii)(iii)(v)		2004
Imeong Conservation Area		Koror 7°31′39″N 134°31′32″E	Mixed		2004
Yapease Quarry Sites		Airai 7°21′01″N 134°33′54″E	Cultural (i)(ii)(iii)		2004
Tet el Bad Stone Coffin		Ngarchelong 7°43′10″N 134°36′48″E	Cultural (i)		2004