The nomination will be submitted to the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for a decision at the 2015 meeting.
Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said:
“The Forth Bridge is a Scottish icon that is recognised the world over. We are extremely excited that we have the opportunity to make the case for the Bridge being inscribed as Scotland’s sixth World Heritage Site.”
The nomination will be overseen by the Forth Bridges Forum, which includes representatives from Historic Scotland, bridge owners Network Rail, Transport Scotland, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, Fife Council and City of Edinburgh Council.
If successful, the rail bridge would be the sixth World Heritage Site in Scotland, the others being The Heart of Neolithic Orkney, The Antonine Wall, the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, St Kilda and New Lanark.
