12. The National Museum of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
Established in 1818, the National Museum of Brazil was one of Latin America’s oldest and most significant cultural institutions, housing over 20 million artifacts, including Egyptian mummies and the oldest human fossil found in Brazil. On September 2, 2018, a devastating fire engulfed the museum, destroying approximately 92% of its collection. The tragedy underscored the critical need for heritage preservation and sparked international calls for enhanced protection of cultural sites. (en.wikipedia.org)
