Ground-based observatories have historically provided the vast majority of our knowledge of outer space. However, present technical and scientific requirements restrict suitable areas to very specific and limited locations offering good conditions for the development of astronomy, of optical and infrared astronomy in particular.

There are only a few places on the planet where we find this unique combination of environmental and natural circumstances: well conserved spaces with very little alteration to natural starlight.

These exceptional sites, including their natural components, can be considered as “landscapes of science and knowledge”. As we would have expected, the world’s largest contemporary observatories, true scientific monuments, are located in these places and are, to a greater or lesser extent, historical sources of native astronomical culture. The case of Hawaii, the Canaries and northern Chile are for an ensemble of discrete sites that, within this context, have outstanding universal significance as a group.

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