SEVEN WONDERS of the ANCIENT WORLD
Only the Pyramids of Giza still exist
1. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
2. The Colossus of Rhodes
3. The Lighthouse at Alexandria
4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
5. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
6. Mausoleum Maussollos at Halicanessus
7.* Pyramids of Giza
SEVEN WONDERS of the MEDIEVAL WORLD
1. Stonehenge*
2. Colosseum*
3. Catacombs of Kom at Shogofa* Alexandria, Egypt.
4. Great Wall of China*
5. Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
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*
NEW 7 WONDERS FOUNDATION
A Swiss corporation made a list using 200 monuments in 2007
1. Great Wall of China*. 7th century BC.
2. Petra*. 100 BC
3. Machu Picchu*. 1450
4. Chichen Itza*. 600
5. Colosseum*. 80
6. Taj Mahal*. 1648
7. Great Pyramid of Giza*. 2560 BC
AMERICAN SOCIETY of CIVIL ENGINEERS 7 WONDERS of the WORLD
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
NEW 7 WONDERS of ENGINEERING
1. Three Gorges Dam*, China. 2010. Built on the Yangtze River, the dam is 2,335m long and 181m above bedrock, creating a reservoir 660 km long at full capacity. Five times the size of Hoover Dam, it displaced 1.3 million people. It was expected to provide 10% of China’s total power needs but in 2011, it only supported 1.7%. It has 2 sets of 5 locks each to transport ships over the dam making the river navigable 2,400kms from Shanghai.
2. Channel Tunnel, England/France*. Completed in 1995, it is 50km long with the undersea portion 37km long. Two rail tunnels are 7.6m in diameter.
3. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge*, Japan. It connects Kobe on the mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awayi Island. At 3.9km long, it is the biggest suspension bridge in the world. It can withstand 8.5-scale earthquakes and 286km winds. Tolls are expected to pay for the bridge in 30 years but only because Japan’s interest rates are near zero.
4. The Big Dig*, Boston. This reroutes Interstate 93, 5.6 km under Boston. Cost 14.6 billion.
5. Falkirk Wheel, Scotland*. This rotating boat lift connects the Firth/Clyde Canal with the Union Canal with a height difference of 24m reconnecting the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Union Canal is still 11m higher and connected by 2 locks. Before 1933, there were 11 locks connecting the two canals, but it took a whole day to traverse them and they fell into disuse by 1962 and the mid 70’s respectively.
6. Shanghai Transportation Train*, China. Only 30.5km long, this maglev train connects Shanghai to Pudong International Airport at an average speed of 350km/hour with a capacity of 430km/hour.
7. Taipei 101*, Taipei, Taiwan. Now the 4th highest building in the world, it was the first to reach 500m.
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
Off the coast of Angus, Scotland, is the world’s oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse. It was built between 1807 and 1810 by Robert Stevenson on the Bell Rock in the North Sea, 11 miles (18 km) east of the Firth of Tay. Standing 35 metres (115 ft) tall, its light is visible from 56 km inland.
The base was constructed to such a high standard that it has not been replaced or adapted in 200 years.
Before 1800 six ships wrecked on it every winter and in one storm, seventy ships were lost off the east coast of Scotland. 60 men worked 20 hours per day to build the lighthouse. The rock is under 12 feet of water at high tide.
3. Brooklyn Bridge*
4. London Sewerage System
5. First Transcontinental Railroad*
6. Panama Canal*
7. Hoover Dam*
USA TODAY’S NEW SEVEN WONDERS
Six judges made the list 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).
NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD
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*
NEW 7 NATURAL WONDERS of the WORLD
This was decided by a world vote in 1997. Countries competed to send in votes, making the list skewed. Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam voted heavily for their favourites. To leave the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Himalayas off any list discredits it. Iguazu Falls is a legitimate choice
1. Jeju Island* – South Korea
2. Komodo Island* – Indonesia
3. Iguazu Falls* – Argentina/Brazil
4. Puerto Princesa Underground River* – Philippines
5. Table Mountain*
6. Halong Bay*, Vietnam
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. Kilimanjaro*
6. Masurian Lake District* – Poland
7. Sanderbans National Park* – Bangladesh and India
SEVEN WONDERS of the UNDERWATER WORLD
This was chosen by a panel of marine scientists.
1. Lumbini, Nepal* – Birth place of Buddha.
2. Belize Barrier Reef*
3. Great Barrier Reef*
4. Deep-Sea Vents
5. Galapagos Islands*
6. Lake Baikal*
7. Northern Red Sea*
I would choose 1. Palau (Blue Corner, German Channel) 2. Raja Ampats, Indonesia 3. Sipadan, Sabah Malaysia.
