Brazilian dunes dotted with dazzling pools make UNESCO heritage list

Brazil's Lencois Maranhenses National Park, famed for its white dunes that fill with blue and emerald lagoons in the rainy season, was on Friday declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The vast park, named for the dunes' resemblance to a bedsheet spread across the landscape is located in the northeastern state of Maranhao, in a transition zone between the Amazon, Cerrado, and Caatinga biomes. The decision was taken during the 46th annual meeting of the United Nations World Heritage Committee, which is taking place in India's capital New Delhi.

Lencois Maranhenses is the 24th site in Brazil to make it onto the list of places of significant cultural or natural significance. According to UNESCO, it is the largest expanse of dunes in South America. The park has also hosted several Hollywood film shoots.