The new seven wonders of world

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Yesterday (07-07-07), The new seven wonders of the world was announced by the swiss non profit group, New 7 Wonders Foundation. In a spectacular ceremony held at lisbon portugal, the new members were announced by a group of celebrities around the world. The ancient wonder, Piramid of Giza, was given a honorary status and was directly selected without any voting as it was the only still standing site from the ancient seven wonders. According to the organization that conducted the polls, about 100 million votes were cast by the people through the new 7 wonders website and sms messages. Half of the profit from the poll will be provided for the renovation of world heritage sites, especially the bamian statute of Afghanisthan.

The new seven wonders of the world are :-

1. Great Wall of China – The Great Wall of China, is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties. The Great Wall is the world’s longest human made structure and is the only human made structure that is visible to naked human eye from the moon.
2. Taj Mahal, India – The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648. The Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architechture. It is represented as a symbol of love.
3. Chichen Itza, Mexico – Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in Mexico. Archaeological data, such as evidence of burning at a number of important structures and architectural complexes, suggest that Chichen Itza’s collapse was violent.
4. Christ the Redeemer, Brazil – Christ the Redeemer is a large Art Deco-style statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue stands 32 m (105 feet) tall, weighs 1000 tons and is located at the peak of the 710-m (2330-foot) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park, overlooking the city. As well as being a potent symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of the city.
5. The Colosseum, Italy – The Colosseum or Coliseum, is a giant amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Originally capable of seating around 50,000 spectators, it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. The Colosseum has long been seen as an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome and is one of the finest surviving examples of Roman architecture.
6. Petra (Jordan) – Petra is an archaeological site in Jordan, lying in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is famous for having many stone structures carved into the rock. The long-hidden site was revealed to the Western world by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.
7. Machu Picchu (Peru) – Machu Picchu, often referred to as “The Lost City of the Incas”, is probably the most familiar symbol of the Inca Empire. Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian city created by the Inca Empire. It was brought to international attention by archaeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911.

Click here for a nice slideshow of the new 7 wonders.

The other finalists of the election, that did not get through the final list are, the Acropolis, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the stone statues on Chile’s Easter Island, Australia’s Sydney Opera House, Cambodia’s Angkor, Spain’s Alhambra, Turkey’s Hagia Sophia, Japan’s Kiyomizu Temple, Russia’s Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral, Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle, Britain’s Stonehenge and Mali’s Timbuktu.

The foundation claims the election to be the first Global election. The election did not go without controversy. UNESCO, the UN’s world heritage body, issued a press release distancing itself from the election and condemning the foundations practises. Since the new results do not have the UN’s approval, there is surely going to be clashes on it. But the foundation is not finished with it. They have announced another global election to find the NEW 7 WONDERS OF NATURE. Well, with 50% of the total money all to themselves, I can understand their interest. What will be next? The new seven wonders of the universe?

Courtesy: Some of the data and pictures for the slideshow were taken from Wikipedia.