Antigua’s historic Nelson’s Dockyard is the Caribbean’s
newest Unesco World Heritage Site, one of 21 new spots named to Unesco’s list
this year.
The dockyard consists of a group of Georgian-style naval
buildings and structures in a walled enclosure that served as a significant
strategic position for the British Navy in the early 1700s.
Now its protected harbor at the south of the island welcomes
tourists with nearby hotels, restaurants, museums and art galleries.
In order to be a Unesco World Heritage Site, a place or
structure must have cultural, historical and/or natural significance, such as
Angkor Wat in Cambodia; the ruins at Philippi, Greece; and Machu Picchu in
Peru.
Antigua joins eight other Caribbean islands that have
historic sites designated by Unesco’s World Heritage Committee, including
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park in St. Kitts, the Blue and John Crow
Mountains in Jamaica, and Old Havana in Cuba.