List of World Heritage Sites in Costa Rica

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. 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. Costa Rica accepted the convention on 23 August 1977. It has four World Heritage Sites and one site on the tentative list. The first site in Costa Rica listed was the Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park, in 1983. In 1990, the site was expanded to include the sites across the border in Panama. The most recent site listed was the Precolumbian Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquís, in 2014. This the only cultural site in Costa Rica, the other three are listed for their natural properties. There is one site on the tentative list. 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. 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. Costa Rica has one property on its tentative list.