Seven natural wonders revealed

A two-year-long worldwide poll of more than a million participants, conducted by the Swiss-based New7Wonders foundation, has determined the new seven wonders of the natural world.

The seven wonders are the Amazon rainforest, Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls (pictured) on the border of Brazil and Argentina, South Korea’s Jeju Island, Komodo Island in Indonesia, the Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines and South Africa’s Table Mountain. The wonders were chosen from 28 locations around the world. Sites failing to meet the final cut included the Grand Canyon, the Black Forest in Germany and the Galapagos Islands. The results are provisional, as official results released in 2012 may be different, according to the New7Wonders site (www.n7w.com).

The poll has endured criticism in part because it was limited to individuals with a computer or mobile device with Internet access.