We have all heard and seen the 7 wonders of the world and how various lists of it has been compiled from antiquity to present day, talking about the The Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt to the Machu Picchu in Peru. When thinking of the wonders of the world, the Great Pyramids or the Colosseum may spring into mind. While unmistakably incredulous, the list below describes the wonders that Mother Nature created at its own will to put humans in awe at the mere sight of these wonders. Some of them have also been designated UNESCO’s Heritage Sites, symbolizing how humans and nature can co-exist in this wonderful world. Sadly, only a few of know us know so much about the 7 wonders of Nature in the world today. In 2007–2011, a contemporary effort to create a list of seven natural wonders chosen through a global poll, was organized by the same group as the New7Wonders of the World campaign.
The 7 Wonders of Nature Are:
Iguazu Falls
These are Waterfalls of the Iguazu river located on the border of two countries, the Brazilian State of Paraná and Province of Misiones in Argentina. Together they make up the largest waterfall in the world. The majestic cascades divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu and besides being breathtakingly beautiful, it is also one of the widest in the world.
Fact: The Iguazu waterfalls has an endless rainbow that you’ll notice once you get to this majestic fall as the rainbows form all around you at Iguazu Falls.
Ha Long Bay
Halong Bay is a bay in the north of Vietnam, in Quang Ninh province. The bay is around 579 square miles in size and is filled with over 1,960 tall, rocky islands. Most of the islands are made out of limestone and are covered in tropical plants. There are beaches and caves on many of them, too. Halong Bay is a famous UNESCO World Heritage site featuring thousands of beautiful limestone karsts, and around 2000 islands and islets.
Fact: The hospital cave in Ha long bay. During the war between America and Vietnam, some of the Vietnamese leaders used a large cave in Ha Long to serve as a safe house, shelter and a bomb-proof hospital for injured people and soldiers! This cave had over 17 rooms and was in use until 1975 and today it is open to visitors
Jeju Island
As far as your eyes can take you, you will see the spectrum of nature in blue and green. island is the largest island in South Korea, located in the Jeju Province (Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.). The island covers an area of 1833.2 km², which is 1.83 percent of the total area of South Korea. In 2020, the resident registration population is about 670,000, the largest among the islands in South Korea.
Fact: The Mermaids of Jeju. There is a group of women called “Haenyo (Sea Women),” like their name who dive 30m deep down the water without any types of equipment, catching seafood barehand.
Puerto Princesa Underground River
The The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of the city centre of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The river is also called ‘Puerto Princesa Underground River’. The national park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the western coast of the island.
The Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, located in the south-western part of the Philippines and about 65 kilometers north-west of Puerto Princesa, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. It was also voted as a New7Wonders of Nature in 2012.
The property covers an area of approximately 22,202 ha with the Underground River stretching to 8.2km long. The massive limestone karst rock structure shielding the river is the Saint Paul Mountain Range. Sabang Beach is the takeoff point of tourists to the Subterranean River National Park.
The entrance to the subterranean river is a short hike or boat ride from the town Sabang. The highlight of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is that it flows directly into the sea, with its brackish lower half subjected to tidal influence, distinguishing it as a significant natural global phenomenon.
Fact: The monkeys in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park are so used to being fed by people that they will now grab food from visitors.
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is a flat mountain overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is one of twelve well-known flat topped mountains around the world.Table Mountain is South Africa’s best-known landmark.The original name of Table Mountain was Howrikwaggo. Translated this means ‘mountain in the sea‘ or ‘sea mountain‘.
The highest point of Table Mountain is 1087 meters (3,563 feet) above sea level. It’s called Maclear’s Beacon for the man who built a stone cairn at the site in 1865. It was meant to be used for a trigonometric survey.
Fact: Having withstood 6 million years of erosion, it hosts the richest floral kingdom on earth, with more than 1 470 floral species. More than 70% of all the plants found on the mountain are endemic, meaning they are not found anywhere else.
Komodo Island
Komodo Island is a part of the Republic of Indonesia–which is made up of more than 17,500 islands. Indonesia is divided into 34 provinces. Komodo Island is part of Indonesia province of East Nusa Tenggara. A dragon is a prominent part of official seal of the East Nusa Tenggara province and it is the home to the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon or Komodo Monitor. The island of Komodo has a beach with a mixture of red and white sand, which causes it to look pink. It is only one of seven on earth.
Fact: There are about 4,000 birds on the island, and it is the home of 25 different endangered species.
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest. Covering over 5.5 million square kilometres, it’s so big that the UK and Ireland would fit into it 17 times! The Amazon is found in South America, spanning across Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
Running through the north of the rainforest is the Amazon River — a network of many hundreds of waterways that stretches 6,840km. Although there is some debate, most scientists agree that the Amazon is the world’s second longest river after the River Nile.
Fact: The Amazon has an incredibly rich ecosystem – there are around 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, 3,000 types of fish, 430 mammals and a whopping 2.5 million different insects. The Amazon is home to a whole host of fascinating – and deadly! – creatures, including electric eels, flesh eating piranhas, poison dart frogs, jaguars and some seriously venomous snakes.
