You can't mess with revising the list of the Seven Wonders of the World without stirring up controversy. A new version of the Seven Wonders of the World has been drawn up, based on more than 100 million votes cast from people in 200 countries. The new list was announced July 7 during a ceremony in Lisbon, hosted by actors Sir Ben Kingsley and Hilary Swank. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) quickly chimed in, protesting that the wonders of the world should not be chosen in a popular vote. UNESCO also made a compelling argument that the Seven Wonders of the World was a sufficient number in the ancient world, when the primary focus was on the Mediterranean region, but seven is a woefully inadequate number to tally the modern world's wonders. As chosen, the new Seven Wonders are Chichén Itzá, Mexico; Christ the Redeemer, Brazil; The Great Wall, China; Machu Picchu, Peru; Petra, Jordan; The Roman Colosseum, Italy; and The Taj Mahal, India. Of the original Seven Wonders, only Egypt's pyramids of Giza remain today. The fact that the pyramids didn't make the new list has Egyptians fuming, while tourism officials in Petra are already declaring a tourism boost for their country.
