WORLD FACTS
WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Being a world traveler makes these lists relevant. I’ll never see them all but hopefully I’ll see quite a few.
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only the Pyramids of Giza still exist
1. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
2. The Collossus of Rhodes
3. The Lighthouse at Alexandria
4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
5. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
6. Mauseleum Maussollos at Halicanessus
7. Pyramids of Giza
Seven Wonders of the Medieval World
1. Stonehenge
2. Colosseum
3. Catacombs of Kom at Shogofa
4. Great Wall of China
5. Porcelin Tower of Nanjin
6. Hagia Sophia
7. Leaning Tower of Pisa
Seven Wonders of the Modern World
1. Great Wall of China
2. Petra
3. Christ the Redeemer* (Rio de Janeiro)
4. Machu Picchu*
5. Chichen Itza*
6. Taj Mahal
7. Pyramids at Giza
American Society of Civil Engineers
1. Channel Tunnel. 1994
2. CN Tower*, 1976. Tallest freestanding structure 1976-2007
3. Empire State Building*. 1931. Tallest structure 1931-1967. First with 100+ stories
4. Golden Gate Bridge*. 1937
5. Itaipu Dam. 1984
6. Delta Works/Zuiderzee Works. 1997
7. Panama Canal*. 1914
Seven Wonders of the Industrial World. British author Deborah Cadbury picked 19th and early 20th century wonders.
1. SS Great Eastern
2. Bell Rock Lighthouse
3. Brooklyn Bridge*
4. London Sewerage System
5. First Transcontinental Railroad
6. Panama Canal*
7. Hoover Dam*
New7Wonders Foundation. Swiss corporation decided from 200 monuments in 2007
1. Great Wall of China. 7th century BC.
2. Petra. 100BC
3. Christ the Redeemer*. 1931
4. Machu Picchu*. 1450
5. Chichen Itza*. 600
6. Colosseum. 80
7. Taj Mahal. 1648
8. Great Pyramid of Giza (honorary candidate). 2560 BC
USA Today’s New Seven Wonders. Six judges picked in 2006.
1. Potala Palace. Lhasa, Tibet.
2. Old City of Jerusalem.
3. Polar Ice Caps*.
4. Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Hawaii
5. Internet*.
6. Mayan Ruins*.
7. Great Migration of Serengeti and Masai Mara. Tanzania and Kenya.
8. Grand Canyon* (viewer chosen 8th wonder).
Seven Wonders of Canada. Poll held by CBC 2007. Final picks by 3 judges.
1. The Canoe*
2. The Igloo*
3. Niagara Falls*
4. Old Quebec*, Quebec City
5. Pier 21, Halifax
6. Prairie Skies*
7. The Rockies*
Top Seven as voted by Canada: Sleeping Giant*, Niagara Falls*, Bay of Fundy*, Nahanni NP, Northern Lights, The Rockies, Cabot Trail.
Short List: Cathedral Grove*, CN Tower*, Confederation Bridge*, Crooked Trees (Thickwood Hills, Saskatchewan), Dawson City*, Dempster Highway*, Drumheller* (Red Deer River), Grand Beach (Winnepeg), Gros Morne NP, Haida Gwaii*, Harland Covered Bridge (Newfoundland), Ice Roads*, L’Anse Amour (Labrador), Library of Parliament*, Manitoba Legislature*, Manitoulin Island, Montreal Bagel, Mount Thor (Auyuittuq NP), Museum of Civilization*, Narcisse Snake Dens (Manitoba), Nonosabasut Rock (Grand Falls-Windsor), #5 Road* (Richmond), Perce Rock, Porcupine Caribou Herd, Rankin Inlet Inukshuk, Rideau Canal, Saguenay Fjord, Saugeen Shores Sunsets (Ontario), Singing Sands Beach* (PEI), Spiral Tunnels*, Stanley Cup*, Trans Canada Hwy*, Tuktoaktuk Pingos*, Vegreville Egg, Vimy Memorial (France), Wreck Beach.
Seven Natural Wonders of the World
1. Grand Canyon*
2. Great Barrier Reef
3. Harbor of Rio Janeiro*
4. Mt Everest
5. Aurora Borealis*
6. Paricutin Volcano
7. Victoria Falls
New7Natural Wonders of the World (decided by a world vote in 1997)
1. Jeju Island – South Korea
2. Komodo Island
3. Iguazu Falls*
4. Puerto Princesa Underground River – Philippines
5. Table Mountain
6. Halong Bay
7. Amazon Rainforest
Runner Up Wonders of the World
1. Bu Tinah Shoals
2. Dead Sea
3. Great Barrier Reef
4. Jerto Grotto – Lebanon
5. Kilamanjaro
6. Masurian Lake District – Poland
7. Sanderbans National Park – Bangladesh and India
Seven Wonders of the Underwater World. Chosen by panel of marine scietists.
1. Lumbini Nepal
2. Belize Barrier Reef*
3. Great Barrier Reef
4. Deep-Sea Vents
5. Galapagos Islands*
6. Lake Baikal
7. Northern Red Sea
LARGEST CITIES OF THE WORLD
This is a controversial category as the boundaries of many cities are difficult to determine. There are actually seven different lists depending on how the area of the “city” is determined. Is it the formal municipal boundaries or the general area? This list uses the urban area, that is, the continuously built up landmass of urban development that is within a labor market. Obviously over time the actual population changes. (in millions) *Cities I have visited.
1. Tokyo – 37.126
2. Jakarta – 26.063
3. Seoul – 22.547
4. Delhi – 22.242
5. Manila – 21.951
6. Shanghai – 20.861
7. New York* – 20.464
8. Sao Paulo* – 20.186
9. Mexico City* – 19.463
10. Cairo – 17.816
11. Beijing – 17.311
12. Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto – 17.011
13. Mumbai – 16.910
14. Guangzhou – 16.827
15. Moscow – 15.152
16. Dhaka (Bangladesh) – 15.414
17. Los Angeles* – 14.900
18. Kolkata (Calcutta) – 14.374
19. Karachi – 14,198
20. Buenos Aires* – 13.639
21. Istanbul – 13.576
22. Rio de Janeiro* – 12.043
23. Shenzhen 11.885
24. Lagos – 11.542
25. Paris* – 10.755
WATERFALLS – SIZE BY FLOW RATE
This is a list of waterfalls of the world by mean annual flow rate, height and width. This list excludes rapids, such as Inga Falls or Livingstone Falls, which have a greater flow rate.
Waterfall / Mean annual flow rate (mÑ/s) / Tallest single drop (m) / Width (m) – Country or Countries
Guaíra Falls (submerged) 13300 / 40 – Parana Paraguay and Brazil
Celilo Falls (submerged) 5415 / 7 / 3219 – Columbia United States
Kettle Falls (submerged) 2803 / 15 / 550 – Columbia United States
Niagara Falls 2407 / 51 / 1203 – Niagara Canada and the United States
Iguazú Falls 1746 / 82 / 2700 – Iguazú Argentina and Brazil
Victoria 1088 / 108 / 1708 – Zambezi Zimbabwe and Zambia
Willamette Falls 874 / 12 / 460 – Willamette United States
Virginia Falls 991 / 96 / 850 – South Nahanni Canada
Kootenai Falls 368 / 9 / 300 – Kootenay United States
Rhine Falls 475 / 23 / 150 – Rhine River Switzerland
Dettifoss 193 / 45 / 100 – Jökulsá á Fjöllum River Iceland
Prehistoric waterfalls
Waterfall Maximum daily flow rate (mÑ/s) / Tallest single drop (m) / Width (m) – Country or Countries.
Dry Falls 1,906,000 / 350 / 4828 – Columbia River, United States
Bosphorus (Black Sea deluge. hypothesis) 482,407 / 80 – Bosphorus Strait, Modern
Turkey
WATERFALLS BY HEIGHT
1. Angel Falls – 3,212’ (979m) – Canaima National Park, Venezuela
2. Tugela Falls – 3,110’ (948m) – KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
3. Cataratas las Tres Hermanas – 3000’ (914) – Ayacucho, Peru
4. Olo ‘upena Falls – 2953’ (900m) – Molokai, Hawaii
5. Catarata Yumbilla – 2,938 (896m) – Amazonas, Peru
6. Vinufossen – 2,822’ (860m) – More og Romsdal, Norway
7. Balaifossen – 2,788’ (850m) – Hordaland, Norway
8. Pu’uka’oku Falls – 2,756’ (840) – Hawaii
9. James Bruce Falls – 2,755 (840m) – British Columbia, Canada
10. Brown Falls – 2,744’ (836m) – South Island, New Zealand
11. Strupenfossen – 2,690’ (820m) – Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
12. Ramnefjellsfossen – 2,685’ (818m) – Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
13. Waihilau Falls –m2,600’ (792m) – Hawaii
14. Colonial Creek Falls – 2,584’ (788m) – Washington, USA
15. Mongefossen – 2,535’ (773m) – More og Romsdal, Norway
16. Catarata Gocta – 2,531’ (771) – Amazonas, Peru
17. Mutarazi Falls – 2,499’ (762m) – Manicaland, Zimbabwe
18. Kjelfossen – 2,477’ (755) – Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
19. Johannesburg Falls – 2,465’ (751) – Washington, USA
20. Yosemite Falls – 2,425’ (739m) – California, USA
21. Cascades de Trou de fer – 2,380’ (725m) – Cirque de Salazie, Reunion
22. Olmaafossen – 2,362’ (720) – More og Romsdal, Norway
23. Mana’wai’nui Falls – 2,360’ (719m) – Hawaii, USA
24. Kjeragfossen – 2,345’ (715) – Rogaland, Norway
25. Avalanche Basin Falls – 2,320’ (707m) – Montana, USA
26. Harrison Basin Falls – 2,320’ (707m) – Montana, USA
27. Haloku Falls – 2,297’ (700m) – Hawaii
28. Lake Chamberlain Falls – 2,297’ (700,) South Island, New Zealand
29. Alfred Creek Falls – 2,296’ (700m) – British Columbia, Canada
30. Dontefossen – 2,296’ (700) – More og Romsdal, Norway
31. Brufossen – 2,289’ (698m) – Hordaland, Norway
32. Spirefossen – 2,264’ (690m) – Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
33. Lake Unknown Falls – 2,230’ (680m) – South Island, New Zealand
34. Kukenaam, Salto – 2,211’ (674m) – Bolivar, Venezuela
35. Yutaj, Salto – 2,200’ (671) – Amazonas, Venezuela
