ICOMOS (International Council for Monuments and Sites) organised a symposium in Tunisia on 18 April 1982 and it was suggested that a special day is to be celebrated all through the world in the name of “International Day for Monuments and Sites” on the same day every year.

The idea was also approved in UNESCO’s General Conference in November 1983. “International Monuments and Sites Day” has been traditionally called the World Heritage Day. The day celebrates the diversity of heritage throughout the world.

As of July 2016, there are a total of 1,052 World Heritage Sites located in 165 “States Parties”. Of the 1,052 sites, 814 are cultural, 203 are natural and 35 are mixed properties. The countries have been divided by the World Heritage Committee into five geographic zones: Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Below is a snapshot of countries with most world heritage sites

There are 35 such sites in India which form a part of Heritage sites. Apart from the 35 sites inscribed on the World Heritage list, India has also maintained a list of tentative sites for recognition which has been submitted to UNESCO Committee for evaluation and acceptance. This procedure of pre listing is a prerequisite for the nominations for the World Heritage list to be accepted.