In a gala Official Declaration Ceremony held at Lisbon’s (Portugal) Benfica Stadium, the New 7 Wonders Foundation announced – in random order – the names of the sites/landmarks that have been declared the New 7 Wonders of the World. The results were based on more than 100 million votes cast by individuals from around the world. The “wonders” chosen for the honor are: The Great Wall of China, the Inca city of Machu Picchu (Peru), the Roman Colosseum, the ancient city of Petra (Jordan), the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza (Mexico), the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and India’s magnificent Taj Mahal. The festivities, which were hosted by actresses Hilary Swank and Bipasha Basu and actor Ben Kingsley, attracted celebrities from a variety of countries and were broadcast worldwide. Those who performed or spoke during the ceremony include opera singer Jose Carreras, pop stars Jennifer Lopez and Chaka Khan, astronaut Neil Armstrong, and a host of dancers and acrobats from around the world. The New 7 Wonders Foundation was the brainchild of Bernard Weber, who formed the organization to “unite the world by honoring our common heritage.” Weber explains that the 7 “new” wonders were chosen because “the original list of Ancient Wonders, drawn up more than 2,000 years ago, contained 7 and because 7 has been shown time and time again to be the number of things that the average person can remember.” At the ceremony, Weber also announced the start of his organization’s next project - the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
