Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled over the ages to catalogue the most spectacular man-made constructions and natural things in the world.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the first known list of the most remarkable man-made creations of classical antiquity, and was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic sight-seers and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be the representation of perfection and plenity.^[1] Many similar lists have been made, including lists for the Medieval World and the Modern World.

[edit] Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Great Pyramid of Giza, the only wonder of the ancient world still in existence The Colosseum in Rome The Great Wall of China Taj Mahal Golden Gate Bridge The Itaipu hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River Chichen Itza Potala Palace Old City of Jerusalem The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights The Great Barrier Reef The London sewerage system's original Abbey Mills pumping station Machu Picchu

Main article: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The historian Herodotus (484 BC–ca. 425 BC), and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305–240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, made early lists of "Seven wonders" but their writings have not survived, except as references. The seven wonders included:

• Great Pyramid of Giza
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
• Colossus of Rhodes
• Lighthouse of Alexandria

The earliest lists had the Ishtar Gate as the seventh wonder of the world instead of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The Greek category was not "Wonders" but "thaumata"(Greek: Θαύματα), which translates closer to "miracles". The list that we know today was compiled in the Middle Ages—by which time many of the sites were no longer in existence. Today, the only ancient world wonder that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

[edit] Wonders of the Medieval World

Many lists of "wonders of the world" are said to have existed during the Middle Ages, although it is unlikely that these lists originated at that time because the word medieval was not even invented until the Enlightenment-era, and the concept of a "Middle Age" did not become popular until the 16th century. Brewer's refers to them as "later list[s]"^[2] suggesting the lists were created after the Middle Ages.

Many of the structures on these lists were built much earlier than the Medieval Ages, but were well known.^[3] These lists go by names such as "Wonders of the Middle Ages" (implying no specific limitation to seven), "Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages", "Medieval Mind" and "Architectural Wonders of the Middle Ages".

Typically representative of the seven greatest wonders of the Medieval world are:^[3][4][5][2]

• Stonehenge
• Colosseum
• Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
• Great Wall of China
• Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
• Hagia Sophia
• Leaning Tower of Pisa

Other sites included on such lists:

• Taj Mahal^[6]
• Cairo Citadel^[7]
• Ely Cathedral^[8]
• Cluny Abbey^[9]

[edit] Wonders of the modern world

Many lists have been made of the greatest structures built during modern times or of the greatest wonders existing today. Some of the most notable lists are presented below.

[edit] American Society of Civil Engineers

The American Society of Civil Engineers compiled a list of wonders of the modern world:^[10]

[edit] New 7 Wonders Foundation's seven wonders of the world

Main article: New Seven Wonders of the World

In 2001 an initiative was started by the Swiss corporation New7Wonders Foundation to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments for profit.^[11] Twenty-one finalists were announced January 1, 2006.^[12] Egypt was not happy with the fact that the only original wonder would have to compete with the likes of the Statue of Liberty, the Sydney Opera House, and other landmarks; and called the project absurd. To solve this, Giza was named an honorary Candidate.^[13] The results were announced on July 7, 2007 in Benfica's stadium in a big ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal,^[14] and are:

[edit] USA Today's New Seven Wonders

In November 2006 the American national newspaper USA Today in place in the American television show Good Morning America revealed a list of New Seven Wonders as chosen by six judges.^[15] The wonders were announced one per day over a week on Good Morning America. An eighth wonder was chosen on November 24 from viewer feedback.^[16]

[edit] Seven Natural Wonders of the World

See also: New7Wonders of Nature

Similar to the other lists of wonders, there is no consensus on a list of seven natural wonders of the world, as there has been debate over how large the list should be. One of the many lists was compiled by CNN:^[17]

• Grand Canyon
• Great Barrier Reef
• Harbour of Rio de Janeiro
• Mount Everest
• Aurora
• Parícutin volcano
• Victoria Falls

New7Wonders of Nature is a contemporary effort to create a list of seven natural wonders chosen by people through a global poll. It is being organized by a Swiss-based New Open World Corporation (NOWC), after its success in organizing the New Seven Wonders of the World, which where chosen by more than 100 million votes in the first-ever global campaign.

[edit] Seven wonders of the underwater world

The Seven Underwater Wonders of the World was a list drawn up by CEDAM International, an American-based non-profit group for divers, dedicated to ocean preservation and research.

In 1989 CEDAM brought together a panel of marine scientists, including Dr. Eugenie Clark, to pick underwater areas which they considered to be worthy of protection. The results were announced at The National Aquarium in Washington DC by actor Lloyd Bridges, who played in a TV show titled Sea Hunt:^{[18] [19]}

• Palau
• Belize Barrier Reef
• Great Barrier Reef
• Deep-Sea Vents
• Galápagos Islands
• Lake Baikal
• Northern Red Sea

[edit] Seven Wonders of the Industrial World

Main article: Seven Wonders of the Industrial World

British author Deborah Cadbury wrote Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, a book telling the stories of seven great feats of engineering of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 2003 the BBC made a seven-part documentary series on the book, with each episode dramatising the construction one of the wonders. The seven industrial wonders are:

• SS Great Eastern
• Bell Rock Lighthouse
• Brooklyn Bridge
• London sewerage system
• First Transcontinental Railroad
• Panama Canal
• Hoover Dam

[edit] Travel wonders of the world

Travel writer Howard Hillman is one of many such writers who has compiled lists of the top man-made^[20] and natural^[21] tourist travel wonders of the world:

[edit] Man-made travel wonders

1. Giza pyramid complex
2. Great Wall of China
3. Taj Mahal
4. Machu Picchu
5. Bali
6. Angkor Wat
7. Forbidden City
8. Bagan Temples & Pagodas
9. Karnak Temple
10. Teotihuacán

[edit] Natural travel wonders

1. Serengeti Migration
2. Galápagos Islands
3. Grand Canyon
4. Iguazu Falls
5. Amazon Rainforest
6. Ngorongoro Crater
7. Great Barrier Reef
8. Victoria Falls
9. Bora Bora
10. Cappadocia

[edit] 12 Wonders of the world

A new web poll from ourworldwonders^[22] is currently compiling a list of the 12 wonders of the world. Their criteria is that the wonder must be man-made and have stood the test of time of being at least 200 years old. They are currently voting to choose the 2nd wonder of the world. Machu Picchu was chosen as the 1st wonder of the world. The current list is as follows:

1. Machu Picchu
2. To be revealed on December 15th 2008

[edit] See also

• Eighth Wonder of the World
• World Heritage List - a list of over 800 sites deemed by UNESCO to be of "outstanding universal value"
• National lists of Seven Wonders
  • Seven Wonders of Canada
  • Seven Wonders of Poland
  • Seven Wonders of Portugal
  • Seven Wonders of Ukraine
  • Seven Wonders of Wales
• Seven Wonders of Fore (Fore Abbey, Ireland)
• Seven Blunders of the World — a list by Mahatma Gandhi

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Ash, Russell, "Great Wonders of the World". Dorling Kindersley. 2000. ISBN 978-0751328868
• Cox, Reg, and Neil Morris, "The Seven Wonders of the Modern World". Chelsea House Publications: Library. October 2000. ISBN 0-7910-6048-9
• Cox, Reg, Neil Morris, and James Field, "The Seven Wonders of the Medieval World". Chelsea House Publications: Library. October 2000. ISBN 0-7910-6047-0
• D'Epiro, Peter, and Mary Desmond Pinkowish, "What Are the Seven Wonders of the World? and 100 Other Great Cultural Lists". Anchor. December 1, 1998. ISBN 0-385-49062-3
• Morris, Neil, "The Seven Wonders of the Natural World". Chrysalis Books. December 30, 2002. ISBN 1-84138-495-X

[edit] External links

• A current vote for the 12 wonders of the world A new vote that uses the criteria of the wonder must be man-made and at least 200 years old.
• The Seven Wonders of The Ancient World In More Details.
• Seven Wonders of the Modern World - a list of modern wonders compiled by the American Society of Civil Engineers
• Video about the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, a virtual satellite tour made with Google Earth [02:38]
• The New 7 Wonders of the World - A new list of seven wonders of the world.
• 7 Wonders of the World Collections - sets of seven abandoned, deserted, underwater and underground wonders of the world.