London – The Great Wall of China, Rome’s Colosseum, India’s Taj Mahal and Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer are among the new seven wonders of the world, according to the results of a global poll announced Saturday in Portugal.
Rounding out the list were Jordan’s Petra, Peru’s Machu Picchu and Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid.
Roughly 100 million people from every country in the world cast their votes online at or by phone, according to representatives for the “New 7 Wonders of the World” campaign.
Swiss adventurer and millionaire Bernard Weber began the campaign in 2000. His nonprofit New7Wonders Foundation strives to foster cultural diversity by recognizing and restoring the world’s great monuments. It raises money through sponsorships, broadcast rights and marketing schemes.
More than 200 sites were originally nominated. Last year the number was whittled to 21.
“The idea has been to stimulate a mutual cultural understanding among people from different countries,” said Tia Viering of the foundation.
The only site from the United States to make the 21 finalists – the Statue of Liberty – failed to garner enough support to earn a spot among the top seven. Neither did other masterpieces such as the Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel Tower, which also were finalists.
In Jordan, the royal family launched a national campaign urging residents to phone in their choice of the ancient city of Petra, popularized by the film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”
Peru’s government set up Internet stations in the capital of Lima, where people could vote for Machu Picchu, known as the “Lost City of the Incas.”
Wonders, old and new
Ancient wonders
Great Pyramid of Giza*
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Mausoleum of Maussollos
at Halicarnassus
Colossus of Rhodes
Lighthouse of Alexandria
New wonders
Great Wall of China
Rome’s Colosseum
India’s Taj Mahal
Jordan’s Petra
Peru’s Machu Picchu
Brazil’s Statue of Christ the Redeemer
Mexico’s Chichen Itza
*The Great Pyramid, the only surviving structure among the ancient wonders, has been given an honorary spot in the new poll.
