SEVEN OF THE BEST

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(Though not all would agree)

LISBON - Seven "new" wonders of the world - selected by nearly 100
million voters online and over the telephone, and upsetting cultural
experts - were announced late on Saturday at a celebrity-studded
televised ceremony in the Portuguese capital.

The event was broadcast in more than 170 countries to an estimated 1.6
billion viewers. A private Swiss foundation launched the contest in
January, with 21 shortlisted sites put to the vote.

However, the United Nation's cultural body, Unesco, that designates world
heritage sites, declined to support the event. Among the sites that did
not make the final seven: Cambodia's Angkor Wat, Paris' Eiffel Tower,
Britain's Stonehenge and the statues on Easter Island. - AFP

THE 'NEW' SEVEN WONDERS

A Chichen Itza (Mexico)

Pre-Colombian city built around 500 AD in the Yutacan Peninsula in
Mexico. Four staircases of 91 steps lead up to a platform, making a total
of 365 levels - one for each day in a year.

B Machu Picchu (Peru)

Mystical city of legendary temples, llama husbandry and steep slopes in
Peru's Andes. Invading 16th-century Spanish conquistadors never found the
city, which was only discovered in 1911.

C Coliseum (Italy)

The symbol of Rome. Was built nearly 2,000 years ago during the Roman
Empire. Financed by the Roman conquests in the Middle East, it is Rome's
largest amphitheatre.

D Statue of Christ the Redeemer (brazil)

The symbol of all Brazil. Inaugurated 75 years ago on Mount Corcovado
after five years of work. Rio's top tourist attraction with 1.8 million
visitors a year.

E Petra (Jordan)

Centuries-old pink-coloured ruins carved in the rock was the capital of
Nabataean nomads more than 2,000 years ago, and a junction for the silk,
spice and other trade routes of the era.

F Taj Mahal (India)

Constructed in the 17th century by emperor Shan Jahan as a mausoleum for
his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The most visited monument in India, with nearly 3
million visitors a year.

G Great Wall (China)

Construction started by Emperor Shi Huang Ti over 2,000 years ago. The
longest monument in the world, it extends from the Pacific Ocean to the
borders of Central Asia.