The New 7 Wonders of the World
July 7, 2007
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Posted by Ray Fowler
The New Seven Wonders of the World were announced today in Lisbon, Portugal. (Today’s date being, appropriately enough, 7/7/07). The New7Wonders were selected by worldwide popular vote from 21 candidates chosen from the top 77 different nominees. Here is the list unranked, as they are all considered equal:
The New 7 Wonders of the World
- Chichen Itza – Mexico
- The Great Wall of China – China
- Machu Picchu – Peru
- Petra – Jordan
- The Roman Colosseum – Italy
- The Statue of Christ Redeemer – Brazil
- The Taj Mahal – India
And here are the remaining candidates that were not selected:
- The Acropolis – Greece
- The Alhambra – Spain
- Angkor – Cambodia
- The Easter Island Statues – Chile
- The Eiffel Tower – France
- Hagia Sophia – Turkey
- Kiyomizu Temple – Japan
- The Kremlin – St. Basil’s
- Neuschwanstein Castle – Germany
- The Statue of Liberty – U.S.A.
- Stonehenge – United Kingdom
- The Sydney Opera House – Australia
- Timbuktu – Mali
The Great Pyramids of Giza
- The Great Pyramids of Giza – Egypt
- The Great Pyramids of Giza were part of the final 21 candidates for the New7Wonders but were removed from competition out of respect for Egypt. They are the only remaining structures from the original list of Seven Wonders of the World. Thus, they will be listed together with the New7Wonders as the Eight Wonders of the World.
So, have you ever visited any of these sites? Which are your favorites?
Note: The New7Wonders Project is sponsored by The New7Wonders Foundation. The N7W Foundation was created in 2001 by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber, with a mission to protect humankind’s heritage across the globe. Fifty percent of all net revenue raised by the New7Wonders Project is to be used to fund restoration efforts of important monuments around the world.
Additional Note: Here is the original list of Seven Wonders of the World:
- The Colossus of Rhodes
- The Great Pyramids of Giza
- The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
- The Pharos Lighthouse off Alexandria
- The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
- The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
This traditional list was derived from various lists compiled by ancient Greek observers. The Pyramids of Giza are the only surviving structures from the original list. The rest no longer exist.
Categories: Archaeology, Architecture, Current Events
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Hi Ray,
This is an interesting article. I was suprised to look at the list and realize that I have visited 10 of the 21 sites. Some are spectacular while others that I have visited are not. I was really impressed with the Taj Mahal in India but Stonehenge in the UK was rather boring. Out of all the sites listed, I probably have visited the Colosseum in Italy the most. I lived for 2 years in Italy while I was in the USAF. I will be looking forward to the new seven wonders that were selected.
We tried to vote in our family but waited too late and the website was totally frozen. However, most of our choices won anyway! Andrew’s vote for Stonehenge and my vote for the Acropolis were 2 that didn’t get in. The two that surprised us were the Petra in Jordan and the Statue of Christ in Brazil. Although all of the options were amazing, we wouldn’t have thought those 2 were in the top. Ah well, fun to think about.
Hi Barrie,
I am amazed that you have actually visited 10 out of the 21 sites. You know how many I have visited? Zero! And that includes the Statue of Liberty which is only a few hours away! It’s nice to have a world traveler for a friend! 🙂
Bethany,
Sorry you guys didn’t get your votes to count. I was a little surprised at the Statue in Brazil, too. Of course, I have never seen it in person (see comment above), so maybe it is more impressive when you are actually there.
Hi Ray,
In my younger days, I did an extensive amount of business travel and whenever I was away I would try to visit interesting sights. Bethany, did you or your husband visit either the Acropolis or Stonehenge? The reason I found Stonehenge a bit boring is the setting it is in now. Its seems a bit out of place but I do understand the historical significance. Actually, I did like the Acropolis. The sites that I have visited are:
The Roman Colosseum – Italy
The Statue of Christ Redeemer – Brazil
The Taj Mahal – India
The Acropolis – Greece
The Easter Island Statues – Chile
The Eiffel Tower – France
The Statue of Liberty – USA
Stonehenge – United Kingdom
Timbuktu – Mali
The Great Pyramids of Giza – Egypt
Each site has it significance and I guess its like beauty, its choice is in the eye of the beholder. Actually, I will look thru some of my early photos because I believe that I have visited one more site, Angkor in Cambodia. I looked at one of my old passports and found a stamp for Cambodia and I did find one photo of Angkor but I am looking for at least one or two other photo’s to confirm my visit. That is what happens when you get older…..
My husband Stephen and I have both been to the Acropolis and we’ve seen some of the other sites – Eiffel Tower, Coliseum, Statue of Liberty. My son Andrew is the one who wanted to vote for Stonehenge. He loves Ancient History and finds its background fascinating. But, he’s never been there.
When my husband and I were in England, we were staying with relatives who lived very near Stonehenge. We asked to see it but my uncle said that it was just a bunch of boring stones, so we went to Salisbury Cathedral instead. The Cathedral was awe-inspiring and we loved it but always wish we could maybe have done both!:)