Do you know which are the seven wonders of the world?
Well, you might remember that back in 2007 a list of ‘The Official New 7 Wonders of the World’ was revealed by the Swiss-based, government-controlled Seven Wonders Foundation after a global voting process involving more than 100 million people. The final list included Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Taj Mahal in India, Petra in Jordan, the statue of Christ Redeemer in Brazil, the Colosseum in Rome, the Great Wall of China and Machu Picchu in Peru.
These wonders were totally different to the seven wonders of the ancient world. First of all, the ancient wonders were chosen by one man, Philon of Byzantium in 200 B.C. Secondly, only one of the list still exists today, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The other six are lost to us: The Colossus of Rhodes, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Lighthouse of Alexandria, The Mausoleum at Halicartassus, The Statue of Zeus and The Temple of Artemis.
However, the ancient and new wonders do have one important thing in common: they are all man-made monuments.
Indeed, in the world of such stunning natural beauty, only an animal as arrogant is a human being could create not one, but two lists of worldly wonders separated by 2,200 years and which are exclusively limited to his own creations!
I’m confident that anyone who’s shared my good fortune and been able to travel the globe will agree: the most stunning, awe-inspiring wonders of the world are natural, not man-made. What’s more, unlike the ancient wonders, these wonders are permanent, remaining for millions of years.
So the Seven Wonders Foundation’s latest initiative is, in my opinion, long overdue.
The Foundation is conducting a new global vote, which this time will select the seven wonders of the natural world. Anyone can vote. You just need to visit the New 7 Wonders site, sign up and vote for a natural wonder from the extensive shortlist. The site also contains background information on the natural wonders on the shortlist.
I believe in considered voting, regardless of the issue, so decided to visit one of the candidates for the Seven Wonders of the Natural World here in South America, the Iguazu Waterfall.
Located on the border between Argentinean state of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná at 25° south, the waterfalls are set amongst subtropical rainforest.
The name Iguazu comes from the Guarani or Tupi words y (water) and ûasú (big). Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful aborigine named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river creating the waterfalls, condemning the lovers to an eternal fall. The first European to find the falls was the Spanish Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541.
The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River. Some of the individual falls are up to 82 meters (269 ft) in height, though the majority are about 64 metres (210 ft). The Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese), a U-shaped, 82-meter-high, 150-meter-wide and 700-meter-long (490 by 2300 feet) cataract, is the most impressive of all, and marks the border between Argentina and Brazil.
So should Iguazu be one of the seven wonders of the natural world?
The argument for the list containing at least one waterfall is a strong one. Ask most people in the world to name a waterfall and they’ll probably say Niagara, but when the wife of Eleanor Roosevelt visited Iguazu she reportedly exclaimed “Poor Niagara!”. I’ve never had the good fortune to visit Southern Africa’s Victoria Falls, which separate Zambia and Zimbabwe, but Victoria Falls do have the largest curtain of water in the world, at over 1,600 metres wide and over 100 metres in height.
Iguazu by comparison has a greater annual flow of water and according to experts affords better views and walkways and its shape allows for spectacular vistas. At one point a person can stand and be surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls. The Devil's Throat section of Iguazu has water pouring into it from three sides. Likewise, because Iguazu is split into many relatively small falls, one can view these a portion at a time. Victoria does not allow this, as it is essentially one waterfall that falls into a canyon and is too immense to appreciate at once.
I’ll sign off with some more of my photos to help you decide if Iguazu merits inclusion!
All the best,
Rick
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