Among the notable cultural properties that could become UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2018 are the First World War graveyards and memorials in Belgium and France. One of them is this cemetery in Thiepval, France, where the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme was commemorated in 2016. The title of World Heritage site is highly coveted because it attracts attention and boosts tourism.

This isn't the first go-around for the 13th-century cathedral in eastern Germany. It had been entered into the running to become cultural UNESCO World Heritage before, but was rejected. Back then, the application included the high medieval cultural landscape surrounding the landmark. This time around, the Naumburgers followed the UNESCO committee's recommendation and entered the cathedral only.

The second German entry includes the archaeological landscape of Hedeby, one of the most important trading centers in northern Europe from the 9th to the 11th century, and the Danevirke, an early medieval fortification wall. The Viking sites are located at the border between Germany and its northern neighbor Denmark.

The Sansa Buddhist Mountain Monasteries are South Korea's only contender in the 2018 round. The Beopjusa Temple, with the Hall of Eight Pictures seen above, is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It's one of seven monasteries in the ensemble up for World Heritage recognition.

One of Italy's entries in the cultural properties section of UNESCO's World Heritage are the lush hills surrounding the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene — home of the famously sparkly Prosecco. Pictured above is the San Martino mountain pass. Should this area make it on the list, you know what its residents will drink to celebrate. Cheers!

One of the older contenders for a World Heritage title in 2018 is Qalhat. The city in northeastern Oman was an important trade hub in the 14th and 15th century. The pictured mausoleum of Bibi Maryam is a reminder of ancient times. In 2010, modern Qalhat had roughly 1,100 inhabitants. Its port, located a little outside the city, is a transfer site for Oman's liquid gas.

The Romanian community of Rosia Montana has always been famous for mining. The rich resources of the area have been exploited since Roman times. Experts say there are hundreds of tons of gold still to be dug up. In 2017, Romania even planned to ask UNESCO to revoke its World Heritage application — it was worried it would interfere with mining. But Rosia Montana remains a contender.

South Africa's Makhonjwa Mountains are vying for a World Heritage title in the natural property category, as opposed to the previous cultural entries. The mountains fringe the town of Barberton at the border of Swaziland. Some of the oldest exposed rocks on Earth, estimated to be between 3.2 and 3.6 billion years old, can be found here.

This dome-like mountain and its 567-square-kilometer (219-square-mile) nature reserve in south-central China are also among the candidates vying for a World Heritage title in the natural property category. The reserve is home to almost 800 different plant families and more than 800 animal species.

The national park in the Colombian Amazon is one of three sites competing for a mixed-property World Heritage title, with both cultural and natural factors playing a role. Chiribiquete is known by the natives as the "maloca," or ancestral long house, of the jaguar. It was nominated before, but rejected due to security concerns. Thanks to Colombia's current peace process, its chances have improved.

Asmara is located on a high plateau, more than 2,000 meters above sea level. Eritrea was an Italian colony from 1890 to 1941. Asmara initially served as an outpost for the Italians and was later expanded by the fascist Mussolini government.

Parts of the city, particularly those which emerged under Italian control starting in 1893, have World Heritage status. Government and residential buildings, cinemas, mosques, synagogues and the Eritrean Catholic church of "Our Lady of the Rosary" (pictured here) are included. The indigenous quarters of Arbate Asmera and Abbashawel are also World Heritage sites.

Buildings such as this commercial Art Deco building were also a deciding factor for UNESCO in 2017. The World Heritage commission described Asmara as an "exceptional example of early modernist urbanism at the beginning of the 20th century and its application in an African context."

Angola celebrated its first World Heritage site in 2017: The north-west city of M'banza-Congo is located near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was once the political and spiritual capital of the Kingdom of Kongo, which existed from the 14th to the 19th century. The city was expanded in the 15th century by the Portuguese, who built European-style stone houses.

The city is well known for the ruins of a 16th-century cathedral. The cathedral is Africa’s oldest church, some Angolans say. "M'banza-Congo illustrates, more than anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa, the profound changes caused by the introduction of Christianity and the arrival of the Portuguese into Central Africa," according to UNESCO.

The Khomani Cultural Landscape is located along South Africa's northern border with Botswana and Namibia, coinciding with the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. The vast desert landscape holds evidence of human habitation dating back to the Stone Age. The traces are associated with the Khomani, a sub-group of the nomadic San people.

The site encompasses testimonies of the history, migration, livelihoods and collective memory of the San, who survived the rough desert conditions. "The Khomani Cultural Landscape bears testimony to the way of life that prevailed in the region and shaped the site over thousands of years," UNESCO says.

The Sanganeb Atoll in the Red Sea is a World Heritage site since 2016. The coral reef is submerged 25 kilometers off the Sudanese coast. Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island, situated 125 km off Port Sudan, are included. The ecosystem consists of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds inhabited by birds, sharks, turtles and manatees.

The Ennedi in the north-east of Chad was declared a World Heritage cultural and natural site in 2016. The sandstone landscape has been sculped over time by water and wind into impressive cliff canyons and natural arches. it is the largest rock gallery of the Sahara, with thousands of drawings carved in the sandstone.

The Okavango river fans out for thousands of square kilometers until the water trickles away or evaporates. The inland delta is home of a plethora of endangered animals such as cheetahs, rhinos, African wild dogs, and lions. The Okavango Delta was declared a World Heritage site in 2014.