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.^[1] Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage.^[2] Malaysia ratified the convention on 7 December 1988.^[3]

Lenggong

Gunung Mulu

Kinabalu Park

George Town

Malacca City

Location of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Malaysia

Malaysia has four sites on the list.^[3] The first two sites, Gunung Mulu National Park and Kinabalu Park, were listed in 2000. The site Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca was listed in 2008, and the most recent one, the Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley, was listed in 2012. The two sites listed in 2000 are natural while the other two are cultural. In addition, there are six sites on the tentative list.^[3] Malaysia served as a member of the World Heritage Committee from 2011 to 2015.^[3]

UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.^[4]

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World Heritage Sites

Site	Image	Location (state)	Year listed	UNESCO data	Description
Kinabalu Park		Sabah	2000	1012; ix, x (natural)	The national park is located in the area of Malaysia's highest mountain Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m (13,435 ft)). The area is rich in biodiversity, as habitats along the slopes of the mountain change from a lowland tropical rainforest to sub-alpine forests and shrublands at higher elevations. Due to steep mountain slopes, these habitats are isolated from one another even if they are close in distance. There are about a thousand orchid species, 78 species of Ficus, and 60 species of ferns.[5]
Gunung Mulu National Park		Sarawak	2000	1013; vii, viii, ix, x (natural)	The park covers a tropical karst area that is important due to both its geological features and exceptionally high biodiversity. The karst formations include numerous caves, canyons, escarpments, and limestone pinnacles (pictured). Sarawak Chamber is the largest cave chamber in the world. In view of flora and fauna, the park comprises 17 vegetation zones spanning over 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in altitude. It is home to 109 species of palms. The caves are home to large colonies of bats and birds, such as the wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat and cave swiftlets.[6]
Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca		Malacca, Penang	2008	1223; ii, iii, iv (cultural)	This site comprises two important colonial cities at the Strait of Malacca, an important trade route connecting China with Europe, Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. Centuries of cultural interchange have created unique architecture and culture in these two cities. Malacca (pictured), a town of the 15th-century Malacca Sultanate, was under the influence of Dutch and Portuguese Empires starting in the early 16th century. George Town was shaped by the British Empire at the end of the 18th century.[7]
Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley		Perak	2012	1396; iii, iv (cultural)	This site contains two clusters of archaeological sites that cover one of the longest culture sequences in a single locality in the world. Excavations in caves and open-air sites have produced remains of stone tool workshops, with 1.83 million-year-old hand axes being among the oldest such tools discovered outside Africa. Other sites date to the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, and the most recent remains are from around 1700 years ago. Perak Man, discovered in one of the caves and dated to be about 10,000 years old, is one of the most complete human skeletons from this period found in the region.[8]

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In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.^[9] Malaysia lists six properties on its tentative list.^[3]

• Tourism in Malaysia