Wow! The New Seven Wonders of the World!
2 Our world is full of many amazing things. There are ancient buildings, mysterious structures, and breathtaking landmark. But which places or things are the most amazing?
For years scholars and citizen have complied list of what they consider it be world wonders. The first list was created as earl a 425 BCE. Now a new list has been created more than 100 million votes were cast to pick the New Seven Wonders of the World. Here are the Winners 3
One of the New Seven Wonders of the World is the Taj Mahal. Located in India, this fancy monument is made of white marble. It is decorated with sparkling gems. But what is this amazing building? It is a tomb! The Taj Mahal was built as the burial place for the wife of Emperor Shah Jahan. The Emperor loved his wife very much. She died while giving birth to the couple's fourteenth child. To honor her project memory, Shah in Jahan built the Taj Mahal. The project began in 1631. It took the twenty thousand workers twenty-two years to complete the massive memorial. 4
Petra, a rock city in southwest Jordan, was also named one of the New Seven Wonders of World. This city was literally carved into the cliff walls and was home to more than 30,000 people. 5
6 This beautiful rock, city was completed 200 B.C. Amazingly, it is still standing today. Visitors can walk through the entrance of the city follow hallways deep into the heart of the mountain. They can also find chambers where an entire community once lived and worked.
Chichén Itzá, which was once the capital city of the Mayan Empire, has also been declared a wonder of the world. Located in Yucatán, Mexico, Chichén Itzá is perhaps best known for the Pyramid of Kukulcán. 7
This pyramid has 365 steps. One step was built for each day of the solar year. Each year on the first day of fall and spring, a slithering snake appears on the stairs. It's not a real snake. It is just a shadow shaped like a snake, but it gives visitors something to talk about. It might even give them a scare! 8
Perched atop the Corcovado Mountain in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, stands another one of the world's wonders. There, a 12-story, 1.5 million pound statue of Jesus Christ stands with his arms open wide. The statue is called "Christ the Redeemer." 9
Trains carried the loads of materials used to build this statue up the steep mountain. Workers were able to complete their work in about nine years. Now visitors can take a brief trip on a railway up the mountain and admire all of their hard work up close. 10
The Colosseum in Rome, Italy, has also made the cut and been declared one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The Colosseum was an ancient stadium. Completed in 80 A.D., this stadium held 50,000 spectators. 11
12 These ancient sports fans didn't come to the Colosseum to watch football or soccer. In ancient Rome, spectators came to view much more violent activities. Wild animals used to fight one another to the death in this stone stadium. Humans sometimes did too. While hard to imagine, this type of "sport" was common in ancient times.
Peru is also home to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Machu Picchu is a grouping of more than 100 buildings high in the Andes Mountains. Perched at 7,972 feet, this wonder has often been called "the lost city in the clouds." 13
Machu Picchu was built in 1450 and was used as a retreat center for Inca royalty. The Machu Picchu builders created a fancy water system that contained fountains that still work today! That in and of itself is a wonder! 14
What's long and strong and took more than 2,000 years to complete by hand? The Great Wall of China. This world wonder is the longest man-made structure ever built. 15
The Great Wall of China was built to protect China's northern border. It was designed to keep invaders out of the country. While no longer used for protection, this winding wall is a mark of history. Visitors can tour the wall and walk along the ancient stone steps - as long as they don't try to walk along all of them. A walk along the entire wall would be like walking from California to Washington, D.C. - twice! The New Seven Wonders of the World are wonders for sure. People wonder how they were built. Many wonder how they are still standing. Some wonder how they can save up enough money to go see them in person! Hopefully the New Seven Wonders of the World will leave people in wonder for years to come. 16