Mount Etna Becomes a World Heritage Site

Following the successful evaluation of Mount Etna by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the Italian Ministry of Environment has announced that the Sicilian volcano will be officially included on the UNESCO World Heritage List during the 37th World heritage Committee in Cambodia in June. Mount Etna is the most active, the highest (3,350 m. a.s.l.), and the widest sub-aerial volcano in Europe and Mediterranean Area and has been known and observed since Greek and Roman classic times. It currently represents one of the most popular and visited volcanoes in the world. According to the UNESCO's Justification of Outstanding Universal Value: "Mount Etna presents a rare combination, easily accessible, of geo-diversity and different volcanic phenomena, features and landscapes and significant on-going geological processes. Mount Etna has erupted many times in human history and the intense and persistent volcanic activity generated myths, legends and naturalistic observation from Greek and Roman classic times. It is currently a major centre for international research with a long history of influence on geology and geomorphology scientific essays; it is provided with a monitoring system connected with the most relevant volcanic areas in the world and it is known, studied and visited by innumerable scientists and tourists from all around the world and it is globally considered because of its notoriety, scientific importance, natural beauty, cultural and educational value, as an iconic volcanic site."