12 Dec THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD

You have probably heard of them before; the seven wonders of the world. But did you know there are 7 ancients, 7 modern and 7 natural wonders of the world? In this article you can find them all!

The 7 modern wonders

These wonders were announced in Lisbon, Portugal in the year 2007. The ancient wonders were almost all gone, so it was time for a new list. Millions of people have voted and the following modern wonders of the world have emerged;

Christo Redentor (Brasil):

In New York they have the Liberty Statue, in Rio de Janeiro they have a gigantic Christ statue. The statue stands on the seven hundred meters high mountain Corcovado and symbolizes the universality of the Christian message, but also the warmth of the Brazilian people.

Machu Picchu (Peru):

Nowhere else on earth can you find such a well-preserved Inca city as Machu Picchu. The ancient city is located at over 2000 meters’ altitude near the town of Cusco.

Chinese Wall (China):

The Great Wall is located in the north of China and is about 6200 kilometers long. The structure is more than 2000 years old and was used to keep wandering armies from the north out.

Chichén Itzá (Mexico):

Chichen Itza is a city of the Mexican Maya people and is best known for the Pyramid of Kukulcan.

Colosseum (Italy):

Perhaps the most famous and most accessible world wonder for Europeans. The Colosseum is a huge theater in the ancient city of Rome that dates back to the time of the Romans. Also battles between gladiators have been held here.

Taj Mahal (India):

The Taj Mahal is not a temple as is often thought, but a burial monument. It was built in 1632 by the Muslim emperor Shah Jahan, in honor of his deceased wife Mumtaz Mahal. On her deathbed he promised to have a building built that would be just as beautiful as she was (my heart, omg).

Petra (Jordan):

This spectacular sandstone city was made by a relatively unknown ancient folk: The Nabateans. Unbelievable how these people could turn red rocks into immense houses, tombs and churches 2,000 years ago.

---

The 7 ancient wonders

These monuments could actually never have existed from a scientific point of view because the knowledge and resources from that time were not sufficient enough to set up these constructions. Yet these buildings have existed and are therefore called the 7 ancient wonders of the world.

The Pyramid of Cheops (Egypt):

This is the only ancient wonder that has been well preserved to this day. About 10,000 people have been working on this pyramid for more than 20 years. It has been build approx. 2,600 years BC.

Hanging gardens of Babylon (Iraq):

According to stories, the hanging gardens of Babylon once bloomed on the spot that we now know as the city of Baghdad in Iraq. The terraces, which were full of plants and flowers, were built in such a way that it seemed that the gardens were hanging above the banks of the Euphrates River.

Temple of Artemis in Ephesus (Turkey):

This temple is known as the largest temple of ancient times and was meant to honor the virgin hunting, fertility and moon goddess Artemis.

Statue of Zeus (Greece):

To honor the supreme god Zeus, a huge statue of him was made around 500 BC. The statue stood in the Doric temple of Olympia and was more than 9 meters high and covered with ivory, gold leaf and gemstones.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Turkey):

This was the tomb of Mausollos, a Persian prince of Halicarnassus from the 4th century BC. In the Middle Ages was the monument destroyed by an earthquake.

The Colossus of Rhodes (Greece):

It is said that The Colossus was built to celebrate the victory over the attack of the Macedonian king. This meters-high bronze statue of sun god Helios would have been as high as the modern Statue of Liberty.

Lighthouse of Alexandria (Egypt):

This enormous lighthouse showed people the way for around a thousand years. Around the year 900, the massive structure was hit by an earthquake. The remains of the building were used to raise a new building: the citadel of Qaitbay.

---

The 7 natural wonders of the world

In addition to all the immemorial beautiful buildings constructed by humanity, a list of wonders made by mother nature is listed below.

The Great Barrier Reef (Australia):

Scientists call the Great Barrier Reef: “the largest organism on earth.” The bright colours of the 2,300 kilometre long coral reef are even seen from the moon by astronauts.

Mount Everest (Nepal/India):

Mount Everest is with 8,848 meters the highest mountain on earth. The mountain is located on the border between Tibet and Nepal in the Himalayas in Asia.

Amazone rainforest & River (South America):

With an area of 5.5 million square kilometres, the Amazon forest is the largest rainforest in the world. It is spread over nine countries, of which more than sixty percent can be found in Brazil.

Victoria Falls (Zambia/Zimbabwe):

The Victoria Waterfalls are among the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. They are 1700 meters wide and are located in the Zambezi River.

The Northern Lights (North of the Arctic Circle):

One of the most extraordinary natural phenomena: a beautiful light show, made by nature itself. You can only see the Northern Lights when it is dark and in certain places. The light is also different every time; in one place the Northern Lights are green but it can also be purple or blue.

Parícutin (Mexico):

The Paricutin is a unique volcano in Mexico, known for its sudden appearance from a corn field in 1943. This offered scientists a great opportunity to study the life cycle of a volcano and the location became a central point of scientific research.

The Grand Canyon (United States):

This famous gorge is located in the oldest national park in America, in the state of Arizona. Grand Canyon National Park is huge with a size of 4,927 km². All by all, the area is immense, spectacular and unforgettable.

In conclusion, fifteen impressive wonders of today’s world. How many have you seen in real life? Let us know in the comments!

Love,

Iris

[frontpage_news widget=”1092″ name=”Treasures”]