Isle of Man featured in Unesco site map of British Isles

The Isle of Man is one of seven featured biosphere reserves

The Isle of Man has been featured on a new map of Unesco sites across the UK and crown dependencies.

The list of 58 sites includes world heritage sites, creative cities and global geoparks, along with seven biosphere reserves.

In 2016 the island became the first entire island nation to be granted Unesco world biosphere status.

Welcoming the island's inclusion on the map, Clare Barber MHK said it was "great" to have the sites connected.

The areas featured on the new map cover 13% of the landmass of the British Isles.

'Internationally significant'

Ms Barber, who is vice-chairman of Unesco Biosphere Isle of Man, said: "It is great to have, for the first time, a map that illustrates and connects all the Unesco designations across the UK and crown dependencies.

"I hope people will visit our Biosphere when exploring our fascinating Unesco sites, and we hope to commission an Isle of Man specific map to complement this exciting project."

The map was produced by the UK National Commission as part of a project aiming to develop a network for the designated sites.

James Bridge of the UK National Commission for Unesco said the new map would "inspire people for places to visit".

"It shows at a glance the breadth of amazing natural, cultural and built heritage designated by Unesco as internationally significant in the UK," he added.

Other sites featured on the map, which is available on the Unesco website, include the Lake District in Cumbria, the Welsh peaks of Fforest Fawr, Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway and Wiltshire's Stonehenge.