The World has Voted for the New 7 Wonders !
Saturday, July 07, 2007. Source New7Wonders Foundation

• Great Wall, China (220 B.C and 1368-1644 A.D.) Perseverance and Persistence

• Petra, Jordan (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.) Engineering and Protection

• Christ Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1931) Welcoming and Openness

• Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Peru (1460-1470) Community and Dedication

• Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico (before 800 A.D.) Worship and Knowledge

• Colosseum, Rome, Italy (70 - 82 A.D.) Joy and Suffering

• Taj Mahal, Agra, India (1630 A.D.) Love and Passion

See: The announcement

The pyramids of Giza, the only surviving structures from the original seven wonders of the ancient world, were assured of retaining their status.

A Peruvian in national costume held up Machu Picchu's award to the sky and bowed to the crowd with his hands clasped, eliciting one of the biggest cheers from the audience of 50,000 people at a soccer stadium in Portugal's capital, Lisbon.

Great Wall, China and the election of the New Seven Wonders of the World

Only one of the ancient wonders of the world still survives -- now history lovers are being invited to choose a new list of seven.

Among 20 locations short listed for the worldwide vote is the The Great Wall, China. The Great Wall, extensive bulwark erected in ancient China, is one of the largest building-construction projects ever carried out, running (with all its branches) about 4,500 miles (7,300 km).

The Great Wall, China will be up against sites including the Machu Picchu in Peru; the Statue of Liberty in New York; and the last remaining original wonder, the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo.

An original list of nearly 200 sites nominated by the public was narrowed to 20 by the organizers and experts, including the former director general of Unesco Professor Federico Mayor.

The vote is organized by a Swiss foundation called New7Wonders which specializes in the preservation, restoration and promotion of monuments, and the results will be announced on July 7, 2007 -  07.07.07, in Lisbon, Portugal, considered a neutral venue as the country has no contending landmark of its own.

More than 40 million votes have already been lodged, including many from India, for the Taj Mahal; China, for the Great Wall and from Peru for Machu Picchu, the fortress city of the Incas.

The original Seven Wonders of the ancient world were selected by Greek philosopher Philon of Byzantium more than 2,000 years ago. Only the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is is an Honorary New7Wonders Candidate, is still standing. The other original seven wonders of the ancient world were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; the Statue of Zeus at Olympia; the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus; the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus; the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Tia Viering, spokeswoman for New7Wonders, said: "Apart from the Pyramids, the seven ancient wonders of the world no longer exist."

The only criteria for the new list is that the landmarks were built or discovered before 2000.

The 20 finalists for the New Seven Wonders of the World, alphabetically:

1. Acropolis, Athens, Greece

2. Alhambra, Granada, Spain

3. Angkor, Cambodia

4. Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

5. Christ Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

6. Colosseum, Rome, Italy

7. Easter Island Statues, Chile

8. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

9. Great Wall, China

10. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

11. Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan

12. Kremlin/St.Basil's, Moscow, Russia

13. Machu Picchu, Peru

14. Neuschwanstein Castle, Fussen, Germany

15. Petra, Jordan

16. Statue of Liberty, New York, USA

17. Stonehenge, Amesbury, United Kingdom

18. Sydney Opera House, Australia

19. Taj Mahal, Agra, India

20. Timbuktu, Mali