28 Wonders

Good morning, and welcome!

I was going to write an article about the 7 Wonders of the World, but I’ve got to be honest here. If you Google “7 Wonders of the World”, you’re going to get confused very quickly. Here’s the problem: there are actually 4 official lists. First, there’s the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, which is the original list written by Antipater of Sidon in the 2nd century B.C. He chose The the Lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt, Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Olympia’s Statue of Zeus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt, and the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. All but the Great Pyramid have been lost to modern society.

That’s why the organization New7Wonders launched what they call a “global voting campaign” to elect a list of 7 modern wonders available for tourists to see today. Modern society chose Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Peru, Chichen Itza, the Taj Mahal, the Roman Colosseum, and Petra in Jordan. The same organization followed with 7 modern natural wonders: the Puerto Princesa Underground River, Komodo Island, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, the Amazon River, Table Mountain, and the Ha Long Bay. These replaced the original natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Parícutin, Victoria Falls, the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, and the Northern Lights.

Complicated, right?

After much deliberation over which list to choose, I resolved to put all 28 wonders into an online list randomizer tool (https://www.random.org/lists/) and make the choice that way. All 4 lists are at least represented this way, if not displayed in their most complete forms. Nevertheless, there’s still a lot to wonder about with these 6 of the 28 Wonders of the World.

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Wonder #1: The Colosseum

(Photo "Colosseum" by holtmi is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Before the Colosseum was commissioned by the Roman emperor Vespian in 72 AD, most amphitheaters were erected temporarily using wood and supported by a hillside, meaning that such a vast, permanent structure was unheard of in its day. Additionally, it featured awnings and possibly water fountains to keep spectators cool, specific seating arrangements to separate the social classes, and ornate columns and architectural features that made its towering walls pleasing to the eye. The Colosseum served as a way of keeping the Roman public satisfied and entertained. Gladiators both male and female made careers out of fighting in the arena. Prisoners were forced to fight animals and sometimes each other to the death as a means of public execution. Ancient historians also described an event known as the naumachia, a depiction of a specific naval battle that used smaller, flat-bottomed replicas of Roman ships and took place when the Colosseum was flooded with water. There was no admission, as all events were financed by the emperor in spite of their sometimes staggering extravagance. It was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World by those who participated in New7Wonders’s global voting campaign.

For more information, read the Colosseum’s official New7Wonders page: https://world.new7wonders.com/wonders/roman-colosseum-70-82-a-d-rome-italy/

Wonder #2: Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

(Photo "File:Mausoleum at Halicarnassus at the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.jpg" by Jona Lendering is licensed under CC0 1.0 )

Mausolus was a satrap, or governor, who worked for the Persian emperor to manage an allotted section of the vast empire, which in his case was an area known as Caria. After moving its capital to the city of Halicarnassus, he organized a variety of projects that improved the quality of life within the city, such as new harbors and temples. He also planned a tomb for himself and his descendants, later known as, you guessed it, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Although the idea for the Mausoleum originated with Mausolus himself, the project was actually overseen after his death by his wife (and sister) Artemisia. Pythius and Satyros, two prominent Greek architects of the day, were the ones employed to design the Mausoleum, while artists Leochares, Timotheus, Scopas, and Bryaxis were each supposedly given a single wall of the four-sided building on which to include intricate decorative designs. Reaching approximately 140 feet high, the Mausoleum was actually taller than it was wide, a feature which was highlighted by the enormous statue of Mausolus driving a chariot that rested atop the entire building. Many of his descendants were later laid to rest here, at least until the tomb was destroyed in an earthquake somewhere between the 11th and 15th centuries. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was mentioned as one of the original 7 Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon, who likely declared it as such due to its prominence in world culture and its popularity among visitors.

Still wondering? This ThoughtCo article makes for a pretty interesting read: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-mausoleum-at-halicarnassus-1434535

Wonder #3: Victoria Falls

(Photo "Victoria Falls P1190024" by Phil @ Delfryn Design is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 )

The Zambezi River’s Victoria Falls in Southern Africa is not the tallest waterfall in the world, nor is it the most voluminous. No, what makes this specific waterfall special is its width: the curtain of water just goes on, and on, and on. Victoria Falls, the world’s longest sheet of falling water, stretches a little over a mile wide. It serves as a part of the border between the nations of Zambia and Zimbabwe, and tours are offered on both sides of the falls today. The waterfall was known by many names by the earliest tribes who lived there, such as the Batswana and Makololo name Mosi-o-Tunya, or “the smoke that thunders”. This is no surprise: the falls can be heard by anyone within a 25-mile radius. Its prominence and magnificence meant that it was considered an integral part of culture and religion among these tribes. In fact, it was a few members of the Makololo tribe who introduced Scottish missionary David Livingstone to the waterfall he dubbed Victoria Falls (after Queen Victoria, the British monarch of the day) in 1855. In recent years, Victoria Falls has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and draws in hundreds of thousands of tourists per year. Victoria Falls was one of the original 7 Natural Wonders of the World before an updated version was provided by New7Wonders.

Read more about Victoria Falls on this Zambia Tourism webpage: https://www.zambiatourism.com/destinations/waterfalls/victoria-falls/

Wonder #4: Amazon River

(Photo "banos vicinity" by jonathanlevy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 )

Not only is the Amazon River debatably the longest river in the world, it has also supported the entirety of the lush Amazon Rainforest for millions of years. This is no easy task, given that the rainforest boasts more than 40,000 known plant species and includes a diverse assortment of creatures, such as the Amazonian manatee, the pink river dolphin, the giant river otter, the capybara, and the red-bellied piranha. Furthermore, it also provides for an indigenous population that is estimated to total more than 300,000. Its secret falls from the clouds each rainy season. Excessive amounts of rain lead to flooding, which ultimately results in floodplain forests. As the floodplain forests are partially submerged during the rainy season, silt is deposited on the land from the swelling river, which serves to make the soil richer for vegetation to grow. Plants attract animals and decomposers, which fertilize the soil after breaking down waste and encourage even more plants to grow. The river itself is thought to be approximately 4,500 miles long and flows through Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Bolivia. The surrounding rainforest is present in an additional 3 countries. The Amazon River was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature by the organization New7Wonders due to its part in supporting the entire continent and all the people, vegetation, and wildlife that live there.

For more information, visit the Amazon River’s New7Wonders page: https://nature.new7wonders.com/wonders/amazon-south-america/

Wonder #5: Grand Canyon

(Photo "Grand Canyon 01" by britsinvade is licensed under CC BY 2.0 )

To tourists, the Grand Canyon in Arizona makes for a breathtaking view, a challenging hike, and occasionally a fun mule ride or a rafting trip down the Colorado River. To geologists, however, the Grand Canyon is a monumentally long trip down the planet’s memory lane. As the force of the Colorado River carves out a deeper and deeper path through the rock, it reveals layers of sedimentary rock that contains evidence of organisms and environments long forgotten. The oldest layers of earth lie at the bottom of the canyon, while the more recent sediments can be found at the top. In the rock is a narrative of how the river and the canyon were formed, and what kind of life could be found nearby as climates and ecosystems evolved. The canyon began its days with a volcanic eruption, spent a while submerged in a sea, became a coastline and later a desertlike area as the water retreated, and some of the younger limestone there even contains evidence of where the Grand Canyon was located on the supercontinent Pangea. Because its role in helping modern scientists piece together our planet’s history is nothing to take for granite, it was named one of the original 7 Wonders of the Natural World.

Visit the Grand Canyon National Park today with the help of this National Park Service page: https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

Wonder #6: Jeju Island

(Photo "DSC_4913" by Hailey Shen is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 )

While researching this tiny island off the coast of South Korea, I first read the New7Wonders blurb about it and was amazed by the island’s volcano and network of lava tubes running underneath it. The dormant volcano Mount Halla forms the majority of Jeju Island, and it’s thanks to its initial eruption that the island exists at all. For thousands of years, lava continued to flow underneath the island, forming the lava tubes that provide the island with such fame. However, there’s more to Jeju Island than meets the eye. Although Jeju Island wasn’t voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the Natural World for its culture, it only took one article about its residents to pique my interest. One of the most integral parts of the culture there are the haenyeo, Jeju Island’s female divers who are able to swim nearly 50 feet down into the freezing Korea Strait to collect various mollusks and seaweed to sell or eat… without the support of scuba equipment. They are able to hold their breath for multiple minutes at a time and take years to condition their bodies for this grueling work that has supported families here for generations. Not only does Jeju Island boast some of the world’s most beautiful underground caverns, it also supports the people that live there and the tourists that flock to experience the island in all its glory.

I was going to include the New7Wonders link here, but this Washington Post article includes a bit more about the island, its landscape and cultural heritage, and the tragedy that occurred here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/south-koreas-jeju-island-paradise-with-a-dark-side/2012/04/19/gIQAVlFaVT_story.html

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To be frank, I don’t know what I can say here other than you have got to see these wonders for yourself. With 14 natural wonders for which we have the earth to thank and 14 cultural wonders that salute human art and architecture, these 28 international landmarks were recognized as a celebration of our world. Each wonder is both figuratively and literally bigger than just one person, and it is a surreal experience to marvel at something the entirety of humanity has turned its attention to.

(Not that I’ve ever actually seen a Wonder of the World. But hey, at least the pictures are plentiful.)

I think the true magic in the 28 Wonders, however, is that they remind people of the beauty in our world. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how lucky we are, living on such a huge planet boasting diverse landscapes, organisms, and human advancements. In reality, though, this place is cool. There’s never a shortage of things to discover! That’s why this morning, I dare you to look out the window and see what’s outside as the magnificence it is. Don’t take the world for granted. There’s always something new to see if only you look closely enough.

What will you wonder about today?