The Landscape of Grand Pré was one of 26 new sites announced at the 36th World Heritage Committee in Russia on June 30, just in time for Canada Day. Others added to the list include Yakutia’s Lena Pillars Park in Russia, with its yearly 100 degrees C temperature range; the Pilgrimage Route in Bethlehem, Palestine; and seven intricately decorated farmhouses in Hälsingland, Sweden.

The Landscape of Grand Pré has a rich cultural and agricultural history. Home to the Acadian people from 1682 to 1755, Grand Pré is also famous for its dykes, which allowed for agriculture in an area that boasts the world’s highest tides. The region has been home to the Mi’kmaq for thousands of years, and the Acadians and Mi’kmaq formed close ties until the Acadians were expulsed from the area due to conflict between British and French settlers.

Grand Pré is the newest of 16 Canadian World Heritage Sites and the third to be named in Nova Scotia. Other Canadian sites include the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, the Historic District of Old Québec and the Rideau Canal. If visiting Nova Scotia to check out their newest World Heritage Site, make sure to stop by Old Town Lunenberg, the 1753 settlement and Joggins Fossil Cliffs, home to 200 fossilized plant and animal species.