The first phase of voting ends last December 31, 2008. And being a nature's lover as I was, it interested me so much so I browsed on the net. Here's what I got.
Welcome to the second phase of the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign !
competition for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. These include some of the most famous mountain
peaks, lakes, and other attractions. Qualified national and multinational nominees are
now competing to make it to the top 77.
Votes can be cast until July 7. Registration on the Web site aims to prevent people from voting twice. The seven winners will then be chosen in another round of public voting lasting until 2011, this time by Internet, telephone and text messages.
The list of nominees supported by the official committee which, I, myself chose:
AFRICA
Table Mountain
SOUTH AFRICA
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark. It is next to the city of Cape Town in South Africa. Table Mountain is a important tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway to take a ride to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.
ASIA
Al-hasa Oasis
SAUDI ARABIA
The Al-Hasa oasis is the largest oasis in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.In ancient times, Al-Hasa was at the center of the trade routes which traders followed between the east of the Arabian peninsula and India, Persia and the Far East.The Oasis has a dry, tropical climate, with a five-month summer and a relatively cold winter. It enjoys the benefits of copious reserves of underground water.
Jeju Island
KOREA (SOUTH)
Jejudo is a volcanic island, 130 km from the southern coast of Korea. The largest island and smallest province in Korea, the island has a surface area of 1,846 km2.A central feature of Jeju is Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano, which rises 1,950 m above sea level. 360 satellite volcanoes are around the main volcano.
Maldives, Archipelago
MALDIVES
The Maldive Islands make up an island nation consisting of 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean. They are located south of India’s Lakshadweep islands, about 700 kilometers south-west of Sri Lanka. The Maldives encompass 1,192 small islands, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited.
Jeita Grotto
LEBANON
Jeita Grotto is a compound of crystallized caves in Lebanon located 20 km north of Beirut in the Valley of Nahr al-Kalb (Dog River). This grotto is made up of two limestone caves, upper galleries and a lower cave through which a 6230 m long river runs. Geologically, the caves provide a tunnel or escape route for the underground river. In this cave and galleries, the action of water in the limestone has created cathedral-like vaults full of various sizes, colors and shapes of stalactites and stalagmites, majestic curtains and fantastic rock formations. The total length of the cave is more than 9000 m and there is one among the biggest stalactites in the world hanging 8,20 m. The grotto accommodates a huge hall with a distance of 108 m from the ceiling till the water level.
Komodo National Park
INDONESIA
Indonesia’s Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, for a total area of 1,817 square kilometers (603 square kilometers of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon. Later, it was also dedicated to protecting other species, including marine animals. The islands of the national park are of volcanic origin.
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
PHILIPPINES
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.
Sinharaja Rainforest
SRI LANKA
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park in Sri Lanka. The densely forested reserve, home to an incredible number of different trees and animal species, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and insects, is 21 kilometers from east to west and 7 kilometers from north to south. The hilly virgin rainforest was saved from the worst of commercial logging by its inaccessibility.
Cox's Bazar, Beach
BANGLADESH
Cox's Bazar is known for its wide sandy beach which is claimed to be the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. It is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slop. Since the rise and fall of the tide here is not great, it is a good place for sea bathing.
Ha Long Bay
VIET NAM
Ha Long Bay is located in Quáng Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. The bay has a 120 kilometre long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square kilometres in size with 1969 islets. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, other support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Another specific feature of Halong Bay is the abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands, for example, Dau Be island has six enclosed lakes. All these island lakes occupy drowned dolines within fengcong karst.
EUROPE
Mount Olympus
GREECE
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece at 2,919 m high. Since its base is located at sea level, it is one of the highest mountains in Europe, in real absolute altitude from base to top. It is situated in mainland Greece and is noted for its very rich flora with several endemic species. In the Greek mythology, Mount Olympus is the home of the Olympians, the principal gods in the Greek pantheon.
Davolja Varos, Rock Formation
SERBIA
Davolja Varos (the name means "devil's town") is a group of earth pyramids in the Radan Mountains in the southern region of Serbia.
BELGIUM
The Caves of Han-sur-Lesse are on the outskirts of the village of the same name. These caves are the result of the underground erosion of a limestone hill by the river Lesse. The river forces its way under the hill over a distance of over one kilometer. The caves have a constant temperature of 13°C and a high level of humidity. Access is only possible via a vintage streetcar, a remnant of the country's once extensive tramway system.
Vrelo Cave
MACEDONIA (FYROM)
Vrelo Cave is located in the Canyon of Matka on the right bank of Treska River near the Macedonian capital of Skopje. Vrelo is a system of two caves, one above and one underneath the water, and a lake. Highlight of the top cave is a three meter high stalagmite, called the „Pine Cone". The actual depth of the submerged cave has not yet been determined, it seems to lie well over 500 m, therefore some consider Vrelo Cave to be Europe’s deepest underwater cave.
Vesuvius, Volcano
ITALY
Mount Vesuvius is a volcano east of Naples, Italy. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting. Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It has erupted many times since and is today regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
Thy National Park
DENMARK
The Thy National Park covers an area of 24.3 hectares and stretches from Hanstholm to Agger Tange, along the West Jutland coast. This stretch of coastline with its dunes, sand heaths, dune plantations and lakes is also famed for the natural phenomenon of the 10-12 million migratory birds that gather to rest and feed there en route to and from their breeding grounds twice a year, for the spring migration in April and May and the autumn migration in September and October.
Askania-Nova
UKRAINE
Askania-Nova is a biosphere reserve in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, located within the dry Tavriya steppe. The natural reserve was established in 1874 by landowner Friedrich Eduardovych Falz-Fein around the German settlement Askania-Nova . The reserve consists of the acclimatization zoo, botanical garden (2.1 km²), and a virgin steppe preserve (110 km²), and has total area of 825 km².
Douro, River/Valley
PORTUGAL
Douro is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in the province of Soria across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto.The reaches of the Douro have a microclimate allowing for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes important for making the famous Posrt wine.
Cliffs of Moher
IRELAND
Located in county Clare, the Cliffs of Moher are amongst the most impressive places to see in Ireland. The cliffs consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom of the cliffs. One can see 300 million year old river channels cutting through the base of the cliffs.There are many animals living on the cliffs, most of them birds.
OCENIA
Ayers Rock (Uluru), Rock Formation
AUSTRALIA
Uluru is one of Australia's most recognisable natural icons. The world-renowned sandstone formation stands 348 m high above sea level with most of its bulk below the ground, and measures 9.4 km in circumference. Uluru appears to change color as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year.
Milford Sound, Fjord
NEW ZEALAND
Milford Sound, located in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island, is located within the Fiordland National Park. It runs 15 km inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1200 m or more on either side. Among its most striking features are Mitre Peak, rising 1,692 m above the sound, the Elephant at 1,517 m and resembling an elephant’s's head, and Lion Mountain, 1,302 m, in the shape of a crouching lion. Lush rain forests cling precariously to these cliffs, while seals, penguins and dolphins populate the water.
NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA
COSTA RICA
Cocos Island National Park is a unique oceanic island. It is the only emerged volcanic peak of the Cocos underwater ridge (Central Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean) 532 km off the coast of Costa Rica. With 24 square km of terrestrial and 1997 square km of marine ecosystems, it constitutes one of the privileged natural sites on the planet. Due to its isolation and state of conservation, with its unique biological diversity, it is ideal for conducting research about the evolution of species and environmental monitoring processes. According to legend, Cocos Island was a refuge for pirates who supposedly hid treasures here. The search for these treasures has motivated more than 300 expeditions; however, the real treasure is the island.
Ometepe Island
NICARAGUA
The Island of Ometepe was formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua in the Republic of Nicaragua. The volcanoes, Concepcion and Maderas, are joined by a low isthmus to form a single island, giving it the form of an hourglass. Ometepe has an area of 276 km². It is 31 km long and 5 to 10 km wide.
Grand Canyon
UNITED STATES
The Grand Canyon, created by the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years, is 446 km long, ranges in width from 6 to 29 km and attains a depth of more than 1.6 km. During prehistory, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves.
Platano, Forest
HONDURAS
The Platano Forest is located on the Río Plátano on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. The tropical rainforest is full of diverse wildlife and plant life, in which at least 2000 indigenous people continue traditional ways of life. Its environmental and cultural value is threatened by agriculture, colonization, and poor resource management.
Coatepeque Lake, Crater Lake
EL SALVADOR
Lake Coatepeque is a large crater lake in the east part of the Coatepeque Caldera. At 26 sq. km, it is one of the largest lakes in El Salvador, and has hot springs near its shores. In the lake is the island of Teopan, which was a Mayan site of some importance.
SOUTH AMERICA
Atacama Desert
CHILE
The Atacama Desert is a virtually rainless plateau in Chile, covering a 600 mile strip of land on the Pacific coast of South America, west of the Andes mountains. The rain shadow on the leeward side of the Andes keeps this over 20 million-year-old desert 50 times drier than the California’s Death Valley. It is the second-driest desert in the world. The Atacama occupies 70,000 square miles in northern Chile, composed mostly of salt basins, sand, and lava flows.
Fernando de Noronha, Archipelago
BRAZIL
Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, around 354 km offshore from the Brazilian coast. The islands of this archipelago are the visible parts of a range of submerged mountains. Consisting of 21 islands, the base of this enormous volcanic formation is 756 m below the surface. The main island, from which the group gets its name, makes up 91% of the total area.
Galapagos Islands, Archipelago
ECUADOR
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volvanic islands distributed around the equator, 965 kilometres west of continental Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are all part of Ecuador's national park system. They are famed for their vast number of endemic species.
Colca Canyon
PERU
Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River, in the Andes mountain range, in southern Peru. It is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States, but is not as steep. The local people still maintain ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces.
Iguazu Falls
ARGENTINA/ BRAZIL
Iguazu Falls, in Iguazu River, are one of the world's largest waterfalls. They extend over 2,700 m (nearly 2 miles) in a semi-circular shape. Of the 275 falls that collectively make up Iguassu Falls, "Devil's Throat" is the tallest at 80 m in height. Iguazu Falls are on the border between the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones, and are surrounded by two National Parks (BR/ARG). Both are subtropical rainforests that are host to hundreds of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna.
Laguna Colorada
BOLIVIA
Laguna Colorada is a shallow salt lake in the southwest of the altiplano of Bolivia and close to the border with Chile. The lake contains borax islands, whose white color contrasts nicely with the reddish color of its waters, which is caused by red sediments and pigmentation of some algae.
Lake Titicaca
BOLIVIA/ PERU
Lake Titicaca sits 3,812 m above sea level making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. By volume of water it is also the largest lake in South America. The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It is composed of two nearly separate sub-basins that are connected by the Strait of Tiquina which is 800m across at the narrowest point.
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