Wonders of the World

Hands up those who can name all the wonders of the world.

My hands are down. And because I want to be one of those who can start ticking off the wonders I've visited, I decided to research a little bit on it.

The 7 wonders of the Ancient World

1. The Great Pyramid of Giza - a gigantic stone structure near the ancient city of Memphis, serving as a tomb for the Egyption Pharaoh Khufu
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon - A palace with legendary gardens built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II
3. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia - An enormous stone of the Greek father of gods, carved by the great sculptor Pheidias
4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus - A beautiful temple in Asia Minor erected in honour of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature
5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - A fascinating tomb constructed for King Maussollos, Persian satrap of Caria (I just copied this whole sentence, I don't know what "satrap of Caria" means)
6. The Colossus of Rhodes - A colossus of Helios the sun-god, erected by the Greeks near the harbor of a Mediterranean island
7. The Lighthouse of Alexandria - A lighthouse built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos off the coast of their capital city

Of this entire list, only one has survived time. Most people will probably know which one it is, since they would most likely have not heard of the rest. The oldest of the Ancient Wonders - the pyramid of Giza - definitely a place I'd like to visit.

Forgotten Wonders

1. Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt
2. Angkor Wat in Cambodia
3. Aztec Temple in Mexico City
4. Banaue Rice Terraces the Philippines
5. Borobudur Temple in Indonesia
6. Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa in Alexandria, Egypt
7. Colosseum in Rome, Italy
8. Great Wall of China
9. Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey
10. Inca City of Machu Picchu, Peru
11. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
12. Mayan Temples of Tikal in Northern Guatemala
13. Moai Statues in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile
14. Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France
15. Throne Hall of Persepolis in Iran
16. The Parthenon in Athens, Greece
17. Petra, the rock-carved city in Jordan
18. Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, China
19. The Red Fort (Lal Quila) in Delhi, India
20. Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar
21. Stonehenge in England (oh yippee, I can tick this off!)
22. Taj Mahal in Agra, India
23. Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico

Modern Wonders

1. The Channel Tunnel (the English Channel between France and England)
2. The Clock Tower (Big Ben) in London, England (another tick!)
3. The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada
4. Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
5. Empire State Building in New York City, USA
6. Gateway Arch in St. Louis, USA
7. Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA
8. High Dam in Aswan, Egypt
9. Hoover Dam in Arizona/Nevada, USA
10. Itaipu Dam in Brazil/Paraguay
11. Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, USA
12. North Sea Protection Works in Netherlands
13. The Panama Canal
14. The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (wow, KL's in this list!)
15. The Statue of Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
16. The Statue of Liberty in New York City, USA
17. The Suez Canal in Egypt
18. The Sydney Opera House in Australia (4th tick!)

Natural Wonders

1. Angel Falls in Venezuela
2. The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA
4. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia
5. Iguacu Falls in Brazil/Argentina
6. Krakatoa Island in Indonesia
7. Mount Everest in Nepal
8. Mount Fuji in Japan
9. Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
10. Niagara Falls in Ontario (Canada) and New York State (USA)
11. Northern Lights in Antartica
12. Paricutin Volcano in Mexico
13. Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe

Underwater Wonders of the World

1. Palau - a small archipelago in the Pacific Ocean
2. Belize Barrier Reef
3. Galapagos Islands - 600 miles west of Ecuador where 4 major currents meet
4. The Northern Red Sea (Ras Muhammad)
5. Lake Baikal in Russia
6. Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia
7. The Deep Sea Vents

Looks like the world's filled with lotsa things to see! I've particularly found the Galapagos Islands fascinating, and scary. Articles of it usually feature big monitor lizards that look like they belong to the dinosaur-age.

Anyway, while researching on the many Wonders of the World (obviously there's more than seven!), I stumbled upon the UNESCO World Heritage List. So, the next time you're planning a trip somewhere, see if you can tick some places off - if not one of the wonders, at least one of the world heritages.

On days like this, I can't help but be amazed by the world we live in (dramatic-nya!).