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Mount Fuji gets World Heritage listing

Mt. Fuji is seen from Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan Wednesday, May 1, 2013.
Mt. Fuji is seen from Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan Wednesday, May 1, 2013. AP Photo/Kyodo News

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Japan cheered the selection on Saturday of its most iconic landmark, Mount Fuji, as a World Heritage site.

The 3,776-meter-tall mountain has deep cultural and religious meaning in Japan. Thousands of residents in towns around the mountain watched the UNESCO vote live on large screens in public halls and cheered when the result was announced.

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A committee of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization selected it in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

More than 960 sites around the world are on the UNESCO list, which recognizes places that are considered to be of exceptional beauty or cultural value.

Another world-famous mountain was put on the list earlier this week: Italy’s Mount Etna, known especially for its volcanic activity. China’s Xinjiang Tianshan, part of Central Asia’s Tianshan mountain system, was also honoured.

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Another mountainous area designated a heritage site was Tajik National Park, whose landscapes of alpine lakes and glacial fields cover 18 per cent of Tajikistan.

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