Geography of Dorset Channel. It stretches from Lyme Regis in the west to Highcliffe in the east. The main settlements on the coastline are, from west to east, Lyme Regis, Weymouth, Swanage, Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch, although the majority of the coastline is not covered by urban development. The Dorset coastline contains a great variety of coastal landforms, including cliffs, bays, headlands, a large natural harbour and a barrier beach. Almost the entire length of the Dorset coast forms the major part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, designated in 2001. This coast is notable for the variety in its geological structure
Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention the World Heritage List and the way to it is to be found in Chapter 2. Before properties can be proposed for inscription as a World Heritage Site, they must be on the tentative lists of the States Parties. The properties must be of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) which means "cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity". There are ten criteria for the assessment of OUV. Criteria (i)-(vi) for cultural heritage, (vii)-(x) for natural heritage. Properties nominated under criteria (i)