What does everyone think about the results of the new Seven Wonders of the World contest that were announced earlier this month. The newly selected seven wonders are:
Taj Mahal, India
Great Wall of China
Colosseum in Rome
Machu Picchu, Peru
Petra in Jordan
The Mayan temple of Chichen Itza, Mexico
Christ the Redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro (a bit of a surprise).
Europe's most popular destinations Reply to this I thought that in general these were sound choices, but I admit raising an eyebrow at especially the State of Christ and the Colosseum. At first glance it seems to be a somewhat geopolitical decision as to the distribution of world wonders, handily spread around the globe. I think there were worthier candidates than the mentioned two but I can understand their inclusion.
Personally, I would have rooted for the Forbidden City in Beijing and if the Statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro can be nominated, why not the Statue of Liberty or even the Eiffel Tower?
Unfortunately Bam Citadel in Iran is no more, and neither the Buddhas in Bamiyan. Other intriguing places I'd like to see included are Kennedy Space Centre, Angkor Wat or why not the Hanseatic town of Visby here in Sweden? 😊
Reply to this Both the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty were actually among the finalists. I agree with Grant about the statue of Christ in Rio, although it is in a spectacular location, this is not enough to make it one of the seven winners.
Barcelona, Paris, Rome... Reply to this What, no CNN tower?
Hehe, just kidding. Machu Picchu IS a wonder.
Reply to this I agree Angkor should have been there. In addition, although I believe public opinion is important I also believe there should have been an academic voice in the choices. The problem with an online voting system is that it gave an advantage to places with both large populations and a high rate of internet access. I am interested in hearing other people's thoughts on this!
Reply to this What about Mother Nature's achievements?
Mount Everest? The Great Barrier Reef? The Sahara Desert? The Amazon River? Heck, what about the five kilometer thick Antarctic ice shelves?
And yet the top seven results in this poll are all Man-Made!
We Humans are an arrogant lot aren't we?
Reply to this "And yet the top seven results in this poll are all Man-Made! "
Much like the original seven wonders then.
Reply to this I actually think there is a 7 natural wonders of the world. I think they seperate it along the lines of man-made and natural
Reply to this Actually Mark, I was looking in a trivia book and there IS a seven natural wonders of the world... Except no-one could agree on just 7. There's 12:
The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Krakatoa Island, Indonesia
Mount Fuji, Japan
Mount Everest, Nepal/China
Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe/Zambia
Iguassu Falls, Brazil/Argentina
Angel Falls, Venezuela
Paricutin Volcano, Mexico
The Grand Canyon, United States of America
Niagara Falls, United States of America/Canada
Bay of Fundy, Canada
I'd like to take back my comment about Humanity being arrogant.
Reply to this Well we really can be a little arrogant. How do people feel about this list? Anyone feel any natural wonders are missing?
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