A group of ancient monuments and castle ruins in Okinawa, including those of Shuri Castle, was added Thursday to the World Heritage List, becoming the 11th entry from Japan on the list, government officials said Thursday.

The decision was made by the World Heritage Committee of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its meeting in Cairns, Australia.

Okinawa, formerly the Ryukyu Kingdom, was incorporated into Japan as a prefecture in 1879 under the Meiji government.

The 14th- to 18th-century monuments, including the ruins of Shuri Castle, home of the former regional kings in the Okinawa capital Naha, follow the addition last year of Toshogu Shrine, Futarasan Shrine and Rinnoji Temple, all in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture.

During last July's Okinawa summit of the Group of Eight major powers, leaders had a traditional Okinawa dinner at Shuri Castle, which was rebuilt in 1992.

Of about 70 nominated properties, the committee has so far concluded screening 22 of them.

Eight Japanese landmarks, including Buddhist monuments in the Horyuji Temple area in Nara Prefecture and the A-Bomb Dome in Hiroshima Prefecture, and two natural sites such as the Shirakami-Sanchi district in Aomori and Akita prefectures have already been placed on the World Heritage List.

The World Heritage convention was adopted by UNESCO in 1972 to protect cultural and natural sites worldwide. It has been ratified by 161 countries. Japan ratified the convention in 1992.

The 21-nation World Heritage Committee annually approves new additions to the list and reviews the World Heritage List in Danger.