Lists of seven natural wonders of the modern world have been created, including the Grand Canyon, Northern Lights, Mt. Everest, Paricutin, Rio de Janeiro, Victoria Falls, and Great Barrier Reef. Other contenders include Niagara Falls, Angel Falls, and Mount Kilimanjaro. Localized lists also exist, such as the Seven Wonders of Wales. Extended rosters feature a combination of modern built and natural wonders.
Possibly in response to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and perhaps also the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers, several lists have been created naming the seven natural wonders of the modern world. The following list is typical, if not authoritative:
SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS OF THE MODERN WORLD
Natural WonderLocationDescriptionGrand CanyonArizona, USAThis enormous canyon was created by millions of years of erosion and established as a US National Park in 1919.Northern LightsThe Sky Also called the Northern Lights, the Northern Lights are caused by the interaction of the Earth’s magnetic field with particles in the solar wind.Mt. EverestThe Himalayan range, bordering Nepal and ChinaThe first recorded ascent was achieved by New Zealand’s Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953.ParicutinMexicoThis young volcano, which was “born” in 1943, was – unlike most other volcanoes – observed in the port of Rio de JaneiroBrazilThe port, dotted with mountains, was home to Tupi Indians before the arrival of Portuguese explorers in 1502.Victoria FallsZambia-Zimbabwe border Calls for its queen from the missionary Scotsman David Livingstone in 1855, the falls are 1.25 miles (2 km) wide. Great Barrier Reef Australia This barrier reef is 1,242 miles (2,000 km) long, threatened by pollution, and is home to a wide variety of ocean life.
Other contenders for the list mentioned in other sources include the following – note how many waterfalls and mountains there are:
Natural Bridge, a rock formation in Rockbridge Country, Virginia.
Table Mountain, a 3,567-foot (1,087 m) flat-topped mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.
Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee, apparently created by the New Madrid earthquakes in 1811-12.
Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States, formed from a volcanic crater in the Cascade Range in Oregon.
Yosemite Falls, a series of waterfalls in Yosemite National Park in California.
Mauna Loa, a 13,680 m high active volcano in Hawaii.
Niagara Falls, the 158-foot (48 m) falls between New York and Canada.
Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, located in Venezuela.
The Bay of Fundy, between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada, is known for its tides.
Iguassu Falls, a group of hundreds of waterfalls on the border of Brazil and Argentina.
Krakatoa Island, the volcanic island in Indonesia where a huge volcanic explosion in 1883 and subsequent tsunami were responsible for many deaths.
Mount Fuji, a volcanic mountain which is the highest in Japan at 12,389 (3776 m).
Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, located in Tanzania and reaches 17,564 feet (5,354 m).
There are also more localized lists, including the traditional Seven Wonders of Wales named in the nursery rhyme:
Pistyll Rhaeadr e il campanile di Wrexham,
The mountain of Snowdon without its people,
Overton Yew-trees, St. Winifred wells,
Ponte di Llangollen and campane di Gresford
Of course, the steeple, wells, bridge and bells are man-made, but the 240-foot (74m) Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall, Mt. Snowdon in Snowdonia National Park in north-west Wales and the famous 21 yew trees in the graveyard of St. Mary’s Church in Overton are all natural wonders of the modern world.
Another takeoff is the extended roster. There are several “100 Wonders of the World” lists on the internet and almost all of them feature a combination of modern built and natural wonders.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
