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The New 7 Wonders of The World will be known tonight. The glittering event will be hosted in Lisbon, Spain. This event is the brain child of Bernard Weber to name the new wonders of the world that are still in existence today. The selection process was open to the people around the world via the internet.

The selection process started of with 21 sites chosen around the world. Since early 2007, millions of people have cast their votes and the final list has since been reduced to the top 20 sites. Most of these sites are well known and some are not. Luckily with the availability of wikipedia, we can find out more about these sites.

The nominees are:-

1. The Great Wall, China
2. Petra, Jordan
3. Machu Picchu, Peru
4. Angkor, Cambodia
5. Taj Mahal, India
6. Acropolis, Greece
7. Chichen Itza, Mexico
8. Christ Redeemer, Brazil
9. Alhambra, Spain
10. Statues of Esther Island, Chile
11. Roman Colosseum, Italy
12. Eiffel Tower, France
13. Hagia Sophia, Turkey
14. Kiyomizu Temple, Japan
15. Kremlin/St Basil, Russia
16. Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
17. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
18. Statue of Liberty, USA
19. Stonehedge, United Kingdom
20. Sydney Opera House, Australia
21. Timbuktu, Mali

I have cast my votes based my knowledge, perception and my personal biasness of these sites. I have visited some of the sites and some have received my votes. Other sites have to depend on availability of information in public domain to win my votes.

Some countries like China have taken this very seriously. China, as a country which is very rich in historical heritage does not have any site listed among the previous list of seven wonders of the world, has embarked on nationwide campaign to have its people vote for Great Wall of China to be among the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Somehow, this initiative is not without its own controversy. UNESCO has decided not to recognize this initiative which is deemed to be a private initiative. Winners will not find their place in the corridor of UNESCO.

With or without controversy, people around the world are excited about it. Winners can expect to pull in millions of visitors and billions of dollars.

Can I have the envelope, please? And, the winners are ……………….