Machu Picchu Guide - Articles

100m vote for world's seven new wonders
By Ruth Elkins
Published: 08 July 2007  © www.independent.co.uk
 

The Great Wall of China, Brazil's statue of Christ the Redeemer and India's Taj Mahal were among those that were last night voted as the new Seven Wonders of the World.

More than 100 million people voted online or by text in a global poll to find the world's best architectural wonders, which were announced yesterday evening in a glitzy ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal.

Others that made it on to the list were Jordan's city of Petra, Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid, the Colosseum in Rome and Peru's Machu Picchu. Among the sites which missed out were Stonehenge, the Acropolis, the Eiffel Tower, Easter Island, the Statue of Liberty and Sydney's Opera House.

The original seven wonders of the ancient world were concentrated in the Mediterranean and Middle East, but most have since ceased to exist. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharos lighthouse off Alexandria have all vanished. Only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains and will retain its status as a world wonder.

The campaign to find the new wonders was started in 1999 by a Swiss adventurer, Bernard Weber. His foundation, New7Wonders, aims to promote cultural diversity by supporting, preserving and restoring monuments. It received some 200 nominations from around the globe, which were narrowed down to 21 at the start of 2006. Mr Weber announced last night that he now plans to start a campaign to find the world's seven natural wonders