Wonders of the World

1. The Seven Wonders of the Underwater World

Many lists have been made touting the seven wonders of one thing or another but one list that still needed to be created was a list describing the Top Seven Wonders of the Underwater World. In 1989, CEDAM International, an international diving association, decided to write up their own list describing what they thought were the most spectacular underwater sites in the world. And the 7 wonders of the underwater world includes:

The Galapagos Islands: Located in the Pacific Ocean, west of Ecuador are the Galapagos Islands. The islands sprouted from the earth’s crust from a sub oceanic lava vent on the ocean floor. The relatively new volcanic geology created a habitat rich with flora, fauna, and animal life that have been studied and admired by numerous travelers, scientists, and nature-lovers from all over the world.

The Northern Red Sea: Some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world are located in the Northern Red Sea. Considered by some to be the underwater “Garden of Eden,” this reef has some of the most diverse sea life in the world. Located in the Indian Sea between Asia and Africa, the Northern Red Sea spreads out over 169,000 square miles. More than 70 species of hard coral, 30 species of soft coral, over 500 species of fish including hundreds of additional marine life species classified as invertebrate call this reef home.

Palau: Palau is an island nation located about 500 miles from the Philippines. Some of the most beautiful fish in the world live in these reefs. More than 350 species of hard corals, 200 species of soft corals, 300 species of sponges, and 1,300 species of reef fish call this coral reef home.

Lake Baikal: Lake Baikal is the second most voluminous fresh water lake in the world. Located in Siberia, Russia, the lake has an average depth of 2,442 ft and contains roughly 20% of the world’s surface fresh water. At 25 million years old and with a depth of 2442ft makes this lake the oldest and deepest lake in the world.

The Great Barrier Reef: The only living thing that can be seen from outer space that is larger than the Great Wall of China is the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the world. Located in Australia, this reef system is composed of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands making it 1,600 miles in length. The overall structure of the reef is composed of billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. Along with the ocean, the reef creates a habitat that supports a great diversity of sea life, some of which are endangered. Because of the vast beauty of the Reef, people find it very appealing to visit thus bringing many tourist dollars to the area, which help to put in place protective measures to hopefully protect this valuable wonder for many generations to come.

The Deep Sea Vents: Deep Sea Vents otherwise known as hypothermal vents, are fissures along the ocean floor that release superheated water from below the Earth’s crust. The hot water is saturated with dissolved minerals from the crust, mostly sulfides, which crystallize to create a chimney-like enclosure around each vent. When the superheated water in the vent reaches the frigid ocean water, many minerals are released, creating the distinctive black color. The metal sulfides that are deposited can become massive sulfide ore deposits in time. The Deep Sea vents were first discovered in 1977 near the Galápagos Islands by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They are found to exist in both the Pacific and Atlanta Ocean at an average of 2100 meters deep.

The Belize Barrier Reef: The second largest reef system in the world is the Belize Barrier Reef. Located on the coast of Belize, this reef is considered to be one of the best spots in the world to dive and snorkel. It is over 186 miles long and is part of the larger Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System that stretches from Cancun all the way to the Honduras, for a total of 560 miles. Only 10% of this reef has actually been researched and documented.

2. The New Seven Wonders of the World

A man named Bernard Weber started a project to update the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World list by creating a New Seven Wonders of the World list. He started the New7Wonders Foundation to accomplish this feat. The foundation created a poll that took votes via the internet and phone which claimed that more than 100 million votes were cast before the final list was composed. The results of the vote were released on July 7, 2007 (7-7-7) in Lisbon, Portugal and goes as follows:

Petra: Petra is a historical city in Jordan built out of the face of a mountain. It’s located on the slope of Mount Hor in a large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in a location that attracts many flash floods, the residents of Petra figured out how to control these floods and collect the water by the use of cisterns, dams and water conduits. These innovations stored water for long periods of drought in which the water could also be sold. Eventually the Petra society was taken over by the Roman Empire until the city was destroyed by an earthquake.

Chichen Itza : Built by the Mayans, the Chichen Itza is an architectural site in the northern Maya lowlands. It has an interesting mix of architectural styles that make this place appealing for people to visit and is considered the second most visited architectural attraction in the country.

Christ the Redeemer : Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Christ located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue is 130 ft tall and stands on a 31 foot-tall pedestal. It weighs 635 tons and is located at the peak of the 2,300 ft Corcovado Mountain overlooking the city.

Colosseum : The Colosseum is a large amphitheater located in the center of Rome, Italy. It demonstrates the ingenuity of Roman architecture and engineering. Construction started around 70 to 72 AD and continued until completed in 80 AD. It was built to create unity in the city and portrayed gladiatorial contests and other public spectacles.

Great Wall of China : Built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against attacks by roving nomadic groups, the Great Wall of China is made up of various walls, geographical barriers, and trenches for a total length of 5,500.3 miles. The wall starts at Shanhaiguan and spans across the west to Lop Nur. Construction started in 5th century BC and continued until the 1400’s, with the Wall being built from various materials like stone, rock, bricks, and rammed earth. The Wall was very successful at protecting the borders of China until the invading Manchus were able to cross it in 1644, before taking over Beijing. Today, The Wall is rapidly deteriorating due to sandstorms, erosion and general passing of time.

Machu Picchu : Meaning “Old Mountain,” Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city located above the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Mainly, the city is in ruins with a total of a 140 structures but still shows how the Indians lived, which is appealing to visitors making the site the most visited tourist attraction in the country. No one quite knows why this city was built there, but there are many theories like maybe it was a possible prison for people who committed crimes against the Inca Empire, a place to experiment growing certain types of crops or possibly just a city built for the Gods. It appears that the city was abandoned about 100 years after it was built with some theories proposing that all the inhabitants were wiped out by small pox.

Taj Mahal : The Taj Mahal is a temple located in Agra, India. It was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to commemorate the memory of his favorite wife. Construction started in 1632 and was completed in 1653. It was beautifully built by many artisans and craftsmen and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture.

3. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is a list compiled from ancient Hellenic writers that did quite a bit of traveling and wrote guide books about their experiences. Many lists have been compiled but only a few remain fully intact. Many of the items that were on the lists also had many similarities to other lists and because of the time period and travel restrictions, the lists only listed items that was in close proximity to the country of Greece. The most common and accepted version of the list includes the following wonders:

The Great Pyramid of Giza: The Geat Pyramid of Giza is the most fully intact Ancient Wonder left and is truly an architectural accomplishment. The Pyramid is believed to be built for the Pharaoh Khufu around 2560 BC. The structure took fourteen to twenty years to complete using slaves to do most of the work. The Pyramid consists of an estimated 2.3 million blocks, each weighing 2 tons and four 3800 years was the tallest man-made structure ever built in the world.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Considered to be located in Babylon, which is now Iraq, was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Built by King Nebuchadnezzar II for his homesick wife to remind her of the country of Persia from where she was from, the Gardens were as massive achievement of buildings, statues, and plant life in the middle of a desert that receives little rain. One of the most impressive aspects to the garden was how it was irrigated using the Euphrates River and chain pumps to funnel the water to the plants. The gardens cease to exist as a result of several earthquakes that took place during 2nd century BC.

Statue of Zeus at Olympia: Created by the Greek sculptor Phidias in 432 BC is the Statue of Zeus which was located at Olympia, Greece. The statue was built in honor of the Greek God Zeus and portrayed him sitting down holding a statue of the Goddess Nike in one hand and a scepter in the other while presiding over the Olympic Games. Its towering frame rose 32 feet tall and was built in a temple that housed it. The statue no longer exists and is considered to be taken to Constantinople where it was burned in the great fire of the Lauseion, in AD 475.

Temple of Artemis: Created back in 550 BC for a Greek Goddess of the same name was the Temple of Artemis. Except for the roof, the temple was completely built out of marble. All accounts of the temple come from Pliny the Elder, a philosopher and writer and wrote that the dimensions of the building were 377 feet long and 180 feet wide, making its size about three times as large as the Parthenon. The Temple of Artemis was destroyed July 21, 356 BC, through an act of arson.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was built between 353 and 350 BC. No expense was spared in building the tomb and it was built by Greek architects Satyros and Pyhtis and stood 135 ft high with each of the four sides decorated with sculptures designed by each one of four Greek sculptors — Timotheus Leochares, and Bryaxis, the Scopas of Paros.

The Colossus of Rhodes: Representing the Greek God Helios, the Colossus of Rhodes, is located on the Greek Island of Rhodes. Standing at 107 ft tall, the statue was the tallest statue of the ancient world. The statue stood for 56 years before it was hit by the 226 BC Rhodes earthquake. The Statue suffered significant damage snapping at the knees and tumbling over on to the land. Offers were made to have it rebuilt but the oracle of Delphi made the Rhodians fearful that they had offended Helios, and they declined to rebuild it.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria: Pharos is a small island off the coast of Alexandria and because it was difficult to navigate sailing vessels in this area, became home to the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria. The tower was built between the time of 280 and 247 BC and stood between 390 and 450 feet tall. For many centuries, it was the tallest man-made structure ever to exist. In 1303 and 1323, there were two earthquakes that damaged the lighthouse to the extent that no one could even enter the building any longer. It was soon demolished and some of the remaining materials were turned into a medieval fort by then Sultan of Egypt, Quaitbay in 1480.

4. The Seven Natural Wonders of the World

The Seven Natural Wonders of the World is a list of well known natural wonders located throughout different places in the world. Due to special geographic, weather, and other scientific conditions, these amazing and truly unique places have been created in the world that will awe and inspire people to recognize how amazing this planet truly is.

The Great Barrier Reef: The only living thing that can be seen from outer space that is larger than the Great Wall of China is the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the world. Located in Australia, this reef system is composed of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands making it 1,600 miles in length. The overall structure of the reef is composed of billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. Along with the ocean, the reef creates a habitat that supports a great diversity of sea life, some of which are endangered. Because of the vast beauty of the Reef, people find it very appealing to visit thus bringing many tourist dollars to the area, which help to put in place protective measures to hopefully protect this valuable wonder for many generations to come.

The Grand Canyon: The deep, rugged, multi-colored walls of the Grand Canyon can create a powerful and inspiring experience upon viewing. This deep sided gorge has been carved through the landscape over many millions of years by the Colorado River. With a length of 277 miles long, The Grand Canyon can range in width from 4 to 18 miles and attain a depth of over a mile. Many layers of rock are preserved in the canyon’s walls which have been exposed due to erosion creating a kaleidoscope of beautiful colors that can change based on the sun’s position and weather conditions. The Grand Canyon attracts over 5 million tourists a year.

Northern and Southern Lights: Creating beautiful colorful displays of lights are Northern and Southern Lights or otherwise know as auroras. These auroras are usually viewed at night and occur more often around Polar Regions, usually within the Artic and Antarctic Circles, but can also be found in other parts of the world. They usually appear to be reddish or greenish swaths appearing across the dark night sky, but can also be different shades of blue and yellow. The occurrences of auroras are due to emissions of photons in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Oxygen and nitrogen atoms returning from an excited state to ground state create the emission of photons of light.

Mt. Everest: The top of Mount Everest is the highest point on the earth’s surface. It’s part of the Himalaya mountain range in Asia and stands over 29,029 ft high. Many people from experienced mountaineers to novice climbers climb the peak which since 2009 has claimed over 215 lives since being recorded. This attraction to the mountain brings much needed tourist dollars to the area and helps the economy of the local city

Victoria Falls: The Victoria Falls are some of the largest falls in the world. They are located between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe in southern Africa on the Zambezi River. They are considered the most famous falls in the world. The Falls attract over 300,000 visitors a year. To visit The Falls and the surrounding area to view the exotic wildlife and vegetation makes a fantastic memorable experience that you will remember for a lifetime

Paricutin: Located in Michoacán, a state in Mexico is the Paricutin volcano. Beginning in 1943 as a fissure on the property of a local farmer, within one week, reached over five-stories tall, and in a year, reached over 1,102.36 ft tall. Many lives were negatively affected by the volcano which killed crops and livestock and caused massive property damage to the surrounding 25 miles of land.

The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro: Located in Guanabara Bay in Brazil, The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is considered to be one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. The bay stretches inland by 20 miles and is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges, including three famous peaks, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovado Peak, and the hills of Tijuca. There are also many islands to enjoy within the harbor.

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5. The Seven Wonders of the Modern World

Feats of engineering are essential to our modern way of life. Since humans stopped living a nomadic existence and started building shelters, there has been a need to design and implement projects to aid and improve the human condition. Examples of past engineering achievements are the Pyramids of Egypt and the aqueducts in Rome.  The American Society of Civil Engineers put together a list celebrating the top seven architectural and engineering feats in the modern world. The list contains man-made projects such as buildings, bridges, roads, canals, and dams. To make the list, these extraordinary achievements have to be awesome in scope and design, benefit the betterment of humanity, and serve as examples of humans overcoming spectacular challenges. Additional requirements to making the list are that achievements have to be completed and fully operational. The group enlisted submissions from other civil engineers and experts from around the world giving an international perspective to the list and ensuring that no possible achievements are left out.

Channel Tunnel: The Channel tunnel otherwise known as the Chunnel is an underground tunnel about 32 miles long connecting the United Kingdom with northern France. It has the longest undersea portion of any other tunnel in the world and at its deepest point is 246ft deep. The tunnel allows for high speed passenger trains, freight trains and Roll on/Roll off vehicle transport trains to rapidly move people and cargo back and forth between the United Kingdom and France.

CN Tower: The CN Tower in downtown Toronto, Canada is considered the world’s tallest freestanding structure. It is 1815 feet tall and serves as an observation deck and communications tower for the city. It contains two visitor areas, two dining establishments, and an observation deck with a glass floor. One restaurant called the 360 restaurant is 346 meters high and completes a full rotation every 72 minutes.

Empire State Building: Considered the world’s tallest building between the years 1931 to 1972 is the Empire State Building standing at 102 stories tall. After construction commenced, it took 410 days to complete and was officially opened May 1, 1931. The building is currently going through a $550 million renovation and will become more eco-friendly and energy efficient.

Golden Gate Bridge: When completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge connects the northern tip of San Francisco to Marion County and spans a total of 1.7 miles. The bridge has six lanes and is 90 feet wide and at its tallest point is 746 feet tall.

Itaipu Dam: The Itaipu Dam is largest working hydroelectric power plant in its generating capacity. It is located on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. In 2008, the dam produced a record amount of energy and was responsible for 90% of power for Paraguay and 19% for Brazil. The dam took 50 million tons of rock and earth to build and in doing so changed the course of the seventh largest river in the world.

Delta Works: The Delta Works are a number of structures built to keep the coastline of the Netherlands from flooding. The purpose of all the sluices, dams, and storm surge barriers put into place was to shorten the coastline which would reduce the number of dikes that had to be used. Many people in Holland are subjected to floods that cause major damage and loss of life. Because of the Delta Works, much of this damage can be reduced, possibly eliminated. The total project took almost fifty years to complete. Due to global warming, enhancements to the Delta Works will have to be made in the future.

Panama Canal: The Panama Canal is one of the largest most difficult engineering feats ever to have been built in the world. Its primary intention is to shorten the distance of travel for trading vessels between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans saving time, money, and the heartache of traveling around the southern tip of South America. It’s about fifty miles long and takes about 8-10 hours to travel the total distance. Since being built, the canal has been considered a success and continues to be a vital aspect to world trade, carrying more cargo than ever before.

6.The Seven Wonders of the Industrial World

In 2003 the BBC created a documentary celebrating the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World. The television miniseries originally aired from September 4, 2003 to October 16, 2003 on BBC. The series examines seven engineering feats that took place during the Industrial Revolution. These particular feats were chosen because of their ingenuity, challenges that were overcome when completing them, and how they affected overall society.

The SS Great Eastern: Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Great Eastern is an iron sailing steam ship and was considered to be the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch. The ship was 692 feet in length and was reputed for being able to carry 4,000 passengers around the world without refueling. The ship’s designer wanted to take advantage of the fact that at that time so many people from the UK wanted to immigrate to America, so he built the ship for that purpose. After a couple of difficult voyages over the next few years, the ship received considerable damage and was later used for laying cable. Later the ship was retrofitted for commercial passenger purposes that seemed to fail leaving her to be changed into a floating visitor area for a large department store then later sold for scrap metal.

The Brooklyn Bridge: Taking over 13 years to construct and completed in 1883 at 5989 feet long, made the Brooklyn Bridge at the time the longest bridge in the world. Spanning across the East River, the bridge connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York City. The bridge cost 15.5 million dollars to build and 27 people were killed during its construction.

Bell Rock Lighthouse: Located in the North Sea across from the coast of Angus, Scotland is the Bell Rock Lighthouse, which is the oldest sea washed lighthouse in the world. It was constructed to keep ships from getting wrecked at Bell Rock Island. The Lighthouse stands 35 m high, with its light being visible from 35 statute miles away. It was built in a very difficult location and several people were killed in the process. But the masonry work was so well done that it has never been replaced or fixed even once in almost 200 years of its existence.

The London Sewerage System: During the early 19th century, London used the River Thames as an open sewer which due to the city’s growth, became outdated and started causing a foul stench and disastrous consequences for public health in London. A civil engineer by the name of Joseph Bazalgette took over the job of building this underground infrastructure. He built a modern sewer system that purified the city and resulted in the end of the epidemics of cholera and typhoid that had sickened the population.

The Panama Canal: The Panama Canal is one of the largest most difficult engineering feats ever to have been built in the world. Its primary intention is to shorten the distance of travel for trading vessels between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans saving time, money, and the heartache of traveling around the southern tip of South America. It’s about fifty miles long and takes about 8-10 hours to travel the total distance. Since being built, the canal has been considered a success and continues to be a vital aspect to world trade, carrying more cargo than ever before.

The First Transcontinental Railroad:Also known as the “Pacific Railroad,” the First Transcontinental Railroad was the first rail system to connect the Eastern and Western seaboards. The railroad is considered one of the greatest technological feats of the 19th century to take place in America. It served as a vital link for commerce, trade and travel. It replaced the stagecoach and wagon trains for a safer journey across the nation.

The Hoover Dam: Located on the border of Arizona and Nevada, the Hoover Dam was considered to be the largest concrete structure ever built in the world. The reservoir created by the dam is called Lake Mead. The first concrete for the dam was poured in 1933, with the dam being completed in 1936, costing a total of $49 million dollars.

Courtesy : Google S.E.