Vote for the new Seven Wonders of Nature

by Kraig Becker on

A few years back there was an organized effort to select a New Seven Wonders of the World, which resulted in a list of seven amazing places that joined the Great Pyramids on a modern list of spectacular destinations. Now, a similar effort is being made to select a New Seven Wonders of Nature as well.

The process began not long after naming the New Seven Wonders, with more than 440 locations, in 200 countries being nominated. That list was eventually whittled down to 77 locations for the second round of voting, which resulted in 28 finalists which are now being considered.

Amongst the finalist are such iconic places as The Amazon Rainforest in South America, the Grand Canyon in the U.S., and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Those locations are well known and are likely to earn a spot on the list, although there are a few destinations that are just as spectacular, but are lesser known to the genearl public. Those places include Milford Sound in New Zealand, the Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan, and Jeju Island in Korea.

The organizers of the competition have made it easy to cast your votes for the New Seven Wonders of Nature, but just in case you need a little help, they’ve created a video showing you just how to make your selections. Voting will continue in 2011, with the officiall annoucement expected to come on November 11. (11/11/11)

If I were pressed to make my choices, my Seven Wonders would include The Amazon, The Great Barrier Reef, The Galapagos Islands, The Grand Canyon, Kilimanjaro, Angel Falls, and Jeju Island. What are yours picks?

New Seven Wonders?

by Erik Olsen on

There were a few stories out about this group, but I
figured I’d take a closer look, because the topic here is fascinating. Now, you’ve all heard of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, right? How many can you name?
Maybe three? OK, perhaps you’re a classics professor, a master of Trivial Pursuit and you get all 7. Whatever. I got
three. But, hey. Mr Trivia Wiz, did you know that the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, all man-made monuments, were
selected by Philon of Byzantium in 200 BC? He basically made these choices for fellow Athenians, as all the sites were
located around the Med. Here is the list of SAW2:
 

    * The Lighthouse of Alexandria
    * The Temple of Artemis
    * The Statue of Zeus
    * The Colossus of Rhodes
    * The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
    * The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
    * The
Pyramids of Egypt

Now, only a few of these still remain…or just one, um,
right? Well a new group is out to change all this and to create a
newer, more modern version of the World’s Greatest sites. From the Acropolis, to the Eiffel Tower to
the great Wall of China and more, he says that the list seriously needs to be updated. And what’s more YOU can go and vote for the places you believe deserve being given the N7W
distinction. Now, the voting scheme here is really kooky, and I honestly don’t quite get it. You may have to PAY to make
a phone call to vote. And they say the money goes to help the organization doing this… so I am totally dubious. But I
am  posting about the idea just because I think it’s interesting.