Canals of Amsterdam

Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht
UNESCO World Heritage Site
	Aerial view of the Canals of Amsterdam
Location	Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Criteria	Cultural: (i)(ii)(iv)
Reference	1349
Inscription	2010 (34th Session)
Area	198.2 ha (490 acres)
Buffer zone	481.7 ha (1,190 acres)
Coordinates	52°21′54″N 4°53′16″E / 52.36500°N 4.88778°E
	Location of Canals of Amsterdam in North Holland Canals of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than 100 kilometers (62 mi) of grachten (canals), about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals (Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht), dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings.^[1] The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010,^[2] contributing to Amsterdam's fame as the "Venice of the North".^[3]^[4]

^ "Monumenten Amsterdam". Monumenten en Archeologie Amsterdam. City of Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
^ "Seventeenth-century canal ring area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
^ "Amsterdamhotspots.nl". Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
^ "World Executive City Guides – Amsterdam". Retrieved 19 April 2007.