The results of the New Seven Wonders of the World campaign were announced in Lisbon, Portugal on July 7, 2007. The campaign to select the new seven man-made wonders of the world started in September 1999, and people around the world nominated their favorites through December 2005. Twenty-one world class finalists were announced by an international panel of judges on January 1, 2006. The 21 finalists were then posted at the New7Wonders Web site and over 100 million votes from around the world selected the seven winners.
The concept of the New Seven Wonders of the World was based on the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, which was compiled by Philon of Byzantium in 200 B.C. Philon's list was essentially a travel guide for his fellow Athenians, and all the man-made sites were located in the Mediterranean Sea basin. Unfortunately, only one of the original seven wonders of the ancient world remains today--the Pyramids of Egypt. The other six ancient wonders were: 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.
Almost all of the top 21 sites are accessible via cruise ship or overnight land extensions, so cruise lovers can use this list for travel planning much like the ancient Athenians did. The New 7 Wonders of the World are:
- The Great Wall of China in northern China
- Petra in Jordan
- The Statue of Christ Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro
- Machu Picchu in Peru
- Chichén Itzá in Mexico
- The Colosseum in Rome
The 14 other finalist nominees are:
- Acropolis in Athens, Greece
- Alhambra in Granada, Spain
- Angkor in Cambodia
- Easter Island Statues in the South Pacific Ocean
- Eiffel Tower in Paris
- Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
- Kiyomizu Temple in Japan
- Kremlin in Moscow
- Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany
- Pyramids of Egypt
- Statue of Liberty in New York City
- Stonehenge in Great Britain
- Sydney Opera House in Australia
- Timbuktu in Mali