The Provisional New 7 Wonders of Nature

Bernard Weber

Today, 12 November 2011, Bernard Weber, founder-president of New7Wonders has announced the provisional New 7 Wonders of Nature at its headquarter in Zurich, Switzerland.

The provisional 7 wonders of nature in  alphabetical order are:

1. Amazon Rainforest - "a moist broadleaf forest" that encompasses most of the Amazon basin of South America. It covers a total area of 5 1/2 million square kilometers which is more than half of the earth's remaining rainforests. It is home to the most diverse flora and fauna in the world.

2. Ha Long Bay -  located in Quang Ninh province, Vietrnam. It has area of around 1,553 square kilometer, most of which are limestone. It has 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic fauna species, according to Wikipedia

3. Iguazu Falls - found in the border of Argentina and Brazil. It consists of 275 waterfalls with some reaching about 80 feet tall.The Devil's Throat or Garganta del Diablo is considered to be the most impressive of all. The Falls is surrounded by tropical forest of bamboo and palm trees. It is home to many varieties of parrots and monkeys. It is higher than Niagara Falls and larger than the Victoria.

4. Jeju Island -  a volcanic island in the southern coast of South Korea. It is also known as the Islands of the Gods. It is in Jeju Island that tallest mountain, the Hallasan, of South Korea is located. This mountain has 360 satellite volcanoes around it. The island remains the popular destination of honemooners.

5. Komodo National Park - comprises the islands of Komodo , Rinca and Padar in Indonesia. It has a total area of 1,817 square kilometer. The main reason why the Komoda National Park was created in 1980 is to protect the komodo dragons and other species of plants and animals such as the orange-footed scrub fowl and the Tinor deer. Dugong, sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and about 14 species of whales are found in nearby waters of the Park.

6. Puerto Princesa Underground River - located in the capital city of Palawan, in the Philippines. The park features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with a subterranean river according to UNESCO. It also contains a full 'mountain-to-sea' ecosystem and habitat for biodiversity.

7. Table Mountain National Park- a flat-topped mountain that formed a prominent landmark overlooking Cape Town in South Africa. It has beautiful valleys, bays and beaches formed by Atlantic Ocean and the False Bay. It has diverse and unique fauna and flora, rugged cliffs, steep slopes and sandy flats.

The final announcement shall be done early next year.
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As the voting is over, I hope that the peoples of the world will continue not only selecting the wonders of nature but also helping in the conservation of the animals and plants living on them. This is important so that these spectacular gifts of nature shall continue to be visited and admired by the next generation.