If you think about World Heritage Sites, you probably think of places associated with ancient art and culture, historical building and monuments. And of course, many of these are on the World Heritage List .But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let's look at a few of them.    Robben Island in South Africa   This island was used through the centuries as a prison, a hospital and a military base. But it's probably the most famous as a prison for political prisoners in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its residents. The WHL says it represents "the victory of democracy  and freedom over oppression and racism "    The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in India    This railway was opened in 1881 and is still operating today. It crossed a difficult area of mountain landscape and it is a great example of railway engineering. The WHL says that it is "the first, and still the most outstanding example of a hill passenger railway."    Borders of France and Spain    This is an area of great natural beauty and the mountains have many interesting geological formations. But it is also an area of small farms. Surprisingly, people there still use a type of agriculture that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe but has almost completely disappeared in modern times.    Alto Douro, Portugal    This is an area in the North of Portugal where wine has been produced for thousands of years. The WHL says that this long tradition of wine making "has produced a cultural landscape of outstanding beauty that reflects its technological, social and economic evolution".    Rio Platano Reserve, Honduras    The WHL says that this site is "one of the few remains of a humid tropical forest in Central America". It's a mountainous area on the Caribbean coast with many different species of plants and animals. The people who have always lived there still have the same traditional life-style.    Simien National Park, Ethiopia    Simien National Park was one of the first sites listed in 1978. It is one of the highest mountain area in Africa, and the WHL calls it "one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world". It is also important for its wildlife. The population of some rare animals is getting smaller and smaller. The passage mainly deals with  _  .
the remains of ancient cultures on the WHL all the heritage sites on the WHL a few of the more unusual sites on the WHL places of artistic or cultural importance