Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled over the ages to catalogue the most spectacular man-made constructions and natural things in the world.
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the first known list of the most remarkable man-made creations of classical antiquity, and was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic sight-seers and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be the representation of perfection and plenity.[1] Many similar lists have been made, including lists for the Medieval World and the Modern World।
Contents[hide]
1 Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
2 Wonders of the Medieval World
3 Wonders of the modern world
3.1 American Society of Civil Engineers
3.2 New7Wonders Foundation's seven wonders of the world
3.3 USA Today's New Seven Wonders
3.4 Seven Natural Wonders of the World
3.4.1 Seven wonders of the underwater world
3.5 Seven Wonders of the Industrial World
3.6 Travel wonders of the world
3.6.1 Man-made travel wonders
3.6.2 Natural travel wonders
4 See also
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links
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[edit] Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The Great Pyramid of Giza, the only wonder of the ancient world still in existence
The Colosseum in Rome
The Great Wall of China
Taj Mahal
Golden Gate Bridge
The Itaipu hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River
Chichen Itza
Potala Palace
Old City of Jerusalem
The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights
The Great Barrier Reef
The London sewerage system's original Abbey Mills pumping station
Machu Picchu
Main article: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The historian Herodotus (484 BC–ca. 425 BC), and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305–240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, made early lists of "Seven wonders" but their writings have not survived, except as references. The seven wonders included:
Great Pyramid of Giza
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
Colossus of Rhodes
Lighthouse of Alexandria
The earliest lists had the Ishtar Gate as the seventh wonder of the world instead of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
The Greek category was not "Wonders" but "thaumata"(Greek: Θαύματα), which translates closer to "miracles". The list that we know today was compiled in the Middle Ages—by which time many of the sites were no longer in existence. Today, the only ancient world wonder that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza.
[edit] Wonders of the Medieval World
Many lists of "wonders of the world" are said to have existed during the Middle Ages, although it is unlikely that these lists originated at that time because the word medieval was not even invented until the Enlightenment-era, and the concept of a "Middle Age" did not become popular until the 16th century. Brewer's refers to them as "later list[s]"[2] suggesting the lists were created after the Middle Ages.
Many of the structures on these lists were built much earlier than the Medieval Ages, but were well known.[3] These lists go by names such as "Wonders of the Middle Ages" (implying no specific limitation to seven), "Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages", "Medieval Mind" and "Architectural Wonders of the Middle Ages".
Typically representative of the seven greatest wonders of the Medieval world are:[3][4][5][2]
Stonehenge
Colosseum
Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
Great Wall of China
Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
Hagia Sophia
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Other sites included on such lists:
Taj Mahal[6]
Cairo Citadel[7]
Ely Cathedral[8]
Cluny Abbey[9]
[edit] Wonders of the modern world
Many lists have been made of the greatest structures built during modern times or of the greatest wonders existing today. Some of the most notable lists are presented below.
[edit] American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers compiled a list of wonders of the modern world:[10]
Wonder
Date Started
Date Finished
Locations
Channel Tunnel
December 1, 1987
May 6, 1994
Strait of Dover, between the United Kingdom and France
CN Tower
February 6, 1973
June 26, 1976, tallest land structure in the world until September 12, 2007. Surpassed by Burj Dubai
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Empire State Building
January 22, 1930
May 1, 1931
New York, NY, U.S.
Golden Gate Bridge
January 5, 1933
May 27, 1937
Golden Gate Strait, north of San Francisco, California, U.S.
Itaipu Dam
January 1970
May 5, 1984
Paraná River, between Brazil and Paraguay
Delta Works
1950
May 10, 1997
Netherlands
Panama Canal
January 1, 1880
January 7, 1914
Isthmus of Panama
