Wonders of the World


Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, in order to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural features and human-built structures.
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the oldest known list of this type, documenting the most iconic and remarkable human-made creations of classical antiquity; the canonical list was established in the 1572 Octo Mundi Miracula, based on classical sources which varied widely. The classical sources only include works located around the Mediterranean rim and in the ancient Near East. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it represented perfection and plenty, and because it reflected the number of planets known in ancient times plus the Sun and Moon.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The canonical Seven Wonders established in the 1572 Octo Mundi Miracula are:
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, some writers emulated the classical list by creating their own lists with names such as "Wonders of the Middle Ages", "Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages", "Seven Wonders of the Medieval Mind", and "Architectural Wonders of the Middle Ages". It is unlikely that any of these lists actually originated in the Middle Ages since the concept of a "Middle Age" did not become popular until at least the 16th century and the word "medieval" was not invented until the Enlightenment era. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable refers to them as "later list", suggesting the lists were created after the Middle Ages.
Many of the structures on these lists were built much earlier than the Middle Ages but were well known throughout the world. Typically representative of such lists are:
  • Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, a 2nd-century funerary complex in Alexandria, Egypt.
  • Colosseum, a 1st-century amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy.
  • Great Wall of China, a series of defensive fortifications built across the historical northern borders of China, with some segments dating to as early as the 7th century BC.
  • Hagia Sophia, a 6th-century cathedral and mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Leaning Tower of Pisa, a 12th-century bell tower in Pisa, Italy.
  • Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, a 15th-century pagoda on the south bank of the external Qinhuai River in Nanjing, China.
  • Stonehenge, a Neolithic henge monument in Wiltshire, England dated to the 3rd millennium BC.
Other structures sometimes included on such lists include:
Following in the tradition of the classical list, modern people and organizations have made their own lists of wonderful things, both ancient and modern, natural and artificial. Some of the most notable lists are presented below.

American Society of Civil Engineers

In 1994, the American Society of Civil Engineers compiled a list of Seven Wonders of the Modern World, paying tribute to the "greatest civil engineering achievements of the 20th century".
WonderDate startedDate finishedLocationSignificance
Channel TunnelDecember 1, 1987May 6, 1994Strait of Dover, in the English Channel between the United Kingdom and FranceLongest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world
CN TowerFebruary 6, 1973June 26, 1976Toronto, Ontario, CanadaTallest freestanding structure in the world from 1976 to 2007
Empire State BuildingMarch 17, 1930April 11, 1931New York City, New York, United StatesTallest structure in the world from 1931 to 1954; tallest freestanding structure in the world from 1931 to 1967; tallest building in the world from 1931 to 1970; first building with 100+ stories
Golden Gate BridgeJanuary 5, 1933May 27, 1937Golden Gate Strait, north of San Francisco, California, United StatesLongest main span of any suspension bridge in the world from 1937 to 1964
Itaipu DamJanuary 1970May 5, 1984Paraná River, on the border between Brazil and ParaguayLargest operating hydroelectric facility in the world in terms of annual energy generation
Netherlands North Sea Protection Works 1920May 10, 1997Zeeland, South Holland, North Holland, Friesland and Flevoland, NetherlandsLargest hydraulic engineering project undertaken by the Netherlands during the 20th century
Panama CanalJanuary 1, 1880January 7, 1914Isthmus of PanamaAllows passage of oceangoing vessels between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken

''USA Today''s New Seven Wonders

In November 2006, the American national newspaper USA Today and the American television show Good Morning America revealed a list of the "New Seven Wonders", both natural and human-made, as chosen by six judges. The Grand Canyon was added as an eighth wonder on November 24, 2006, in response to viewer feedback.
WonderLocation
Potala PalaceLhasa, Tibet
Old City of JerusalemIsrael
Polar ice capsEarth's polar regions
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National MonumentHawaii, United States
The InternetWorldwide
Mayan ruinsYucatán Peninsula, México
Great Migration of Serengeti and Masai MaraTanzania and Kenya
Grand Canyon Arizona, United States

Seven Natural Wonders of the World

Similar to the other lists of wonders, there is no consensus on a list of seven natural wonders of the world. One of many existing versions of this list was compiled by CNN in 1997:
In 2001, an initiative was started by the Swiss corporation New7Wonders Foundation to choose the New 7 Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments through online votes. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the only remaining wonder of the traditional Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was not one of the winners announced in 2007 but was added as an honorary candidate.
WonderDate of constructionPresent-day location
Great Wall of ChinaSince 7th century BCChina
Petrac. 100 BCMa'an, Jordan
Christ the Redeemeropened to the public October 12, 1931Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Machu Picchuc. AD 1450Urubamba Province, Peru
Chichen Itzac. AD 600Yucatán, Mexico
Colosseumcompleted AD 80Rome, Italy
Taj Mahalcompleted c. AD 1648Agra, India
Giza Pyramids completed c. 2560 BCGiza, Egypt

New 7 Wonders of Nature

A similar contemporary effort to create a list of seven natural wonders chosen through a global poll, called the New 7 Wonders of Nature, was organized from 2007 to 2011 by the same group as the New 7 Wonders of the World campaign.
New 7 Wonders Cities, a third list organized by New7Wonders and determined by another global vote, includes entire cities:
  • Durban, South Africa
  • Vigan, Philippines
  • Havana, Cuba
  • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Beirut, Lebanon
  • Doha, Qatar
  • La Paz, Bolivia

    Seven Wonders of the Underwater World

The list of "Seven Wonders of the Underwater World" was drawn up by CEDAM International, an American-based non-profit group for divers that is dedicated to ocean preservation and research. In 1989, CEDAM brought together a panel of marine scientists, including Eugenie Clark, to choose underwater areas which they considered worthy of protection. The results were announced at The National Aquarium in Washington, D.C., by actor Lloyd Bridges, star of TV's Sea Hunt:
  • Palau
  • Belize Barrier Reef, Belize
  • Great Barrier Reef, Australia
  • Deep-sea hydrothermal vents
  • Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
  • Lake Baikal, Russia
  • Northern Red Sea, bordered by Saudi Arabia and Yemen on the eastern shore, and Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti on the western shore