New Seven Wonders of the World

1
New Seven Wonders of the World

• 07/07/07

Adapted from AOL Travel and the New 7 Wonders of
the World http//information.travel.aol.com/featu
res/outdoor/new-seven-wonders-of-the-world
2
The Selection

• The selection process started in 2001, and left
  no corner of the world unsearched. In 2005, a
  committee selected 21 finalists from among the 77
  nominees of note. More than 100 million votes
  were tallied and the winners announced on July 7.
  And here are the New Seven Wonders.

http//www.new7wonders.com/
3
And the Winners Are ...

• The voting closed July 6 on Geneva-based
  NewOpenWorld Foundation's contest to choose the
  New Seven Wonders, as only one of the Seven
  Wonders of the Ancient World remains standing,
  Egypt's Pyramids of Giza.

4
The Taj Mahal, India

• A giant, gleaming white marble construct fronted
  by a broad fountain and surrounded by gardens,
  this famous domed edifice looks like a fairy-tale
  sultan's palace. In reality, it's a mausoleum
  dating back to 1630.??A Muslim Shah built it to
  commemorate his wife's passing, its beauty
  conceived to reflect hers. It is considered to be
  both the foremost example of Mughal (Indian
  Muslim) architecture and a symbol of love.

5
The Great Wall of China

• The largest monument ever constructed by human
  hands, the Great Wall spans 4,000 miles along
  what used to be the Inner Mongolian border. It
  was built to keep invading Mongols out of ancient
  China. ??Construction began in the 5th century
  B.C. At one point, it was the only man-made
  monument that could be seen from space.

6
Petra, Jordon

• Antiquities scholars and archaeologists often
  debate over how far back Petra's roots reach.
  Indubitably, it was the capital of the
  Aramaic-speaking Nabataeans around the dawn of
  the Christian era.??Arguably, its roots may go
  back several hundred centuries further, to Old
  Testament times. Though deserted for millennia,
  this site is finally getting a visitor center,
  and may be open for tours soon.

7
Christ Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• This statue is 125 feet tall, and its placement
  at the top of Corcovado Mountain makes it even
  more imposing. Designed in the 1920s by French
  sculptor Paul Landowski, it was built over a
  period of five years by a team of Brazilian
  experts led by Heitor da Silva Costa. It was
  inaugurated in 1931.

8
Machu Picchu, Peru

• The Inca's mythical, mystical "city in the
  clouds" is in the Andes highlands, poised above
  the Urubamba Valley. It was built toward the end
  of the pre-Columbian period, probably around
  1450. It was swiftly abandoned thereafter,
  probably due to disease outbreaks. ??The city was
  never repopulated, and it remained undiscovered
  by Westerners until 1911.

9
Chichen Itza, Mexico

• According to legend, Chichen Itza was the work of
  Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent), a
  warrior-priest of the Toltects. During the spring
  and fall equinoxes, the sun and moon align
  perfectly for half an hour, creating the
  silhouetted shadow of a sacred snake slithering
  down the side of the pyramid.

10
The Roman Colosseum, Italy

• Gladiators. Dramas. Spectacles. The ancient
  Romans truly knew how to stage live theater. The
  massive open-air amphitheater could accommodate
  tens of thousands of spectators with graduated
  in-the-round seating that allowed for
  unobstructed views of the center stage.
• The same basic design is used for today's
  amphitheaters, though the entertainment is
  considerably less bloody.

11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13
New 7 Wonders of Nature

• Nominate the New 7 Wonders of Nature
• http//www.new7wonders.com/natural.php
• http//www.new7wonders.com/natural.php