The New 7 Wonders Of The World And A Few Bonus Wonders That Will Leave You Speechless

The Dead Sea, or Yam ha-Melah in Hebrew and Al-Bahr al-Mayyit in Arabic, is a unique salt lake bordered by Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. It sits at 429 meters (1,407 feet) below sea level, making it the lowest elevation on land, and its 304-meter (997-foot) depth makes it the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With a salinity of 34.2% (as of 2011), it’s about 9.6 times saltier than the ocean, creating an environment where most plant and animal life cannot survive. Spanning 50 kilometers (31 miles) long and 15 kilometers (9 miles) wide, the Dead Sea has been a popular destination for thousands of years, known for its health benefits and various products, from asphalt in mummification to cosmetics. Its high density allows swimmers to float effortlessly!

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, stretching over 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) and comprising over 2,900 reefs and 900 islands across roughly 344,400 square kilometers (133,000 square miles) in the Coral Sea, off Queensland, Australia. It's visible from space and is the largest structure made by living organisms. Home to a rich variety of marine life, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. However, challenges like climate change and crown-of-thorns starfish are harming it. The reef is vital to local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and generates over $3 billion annually from tourism. Google even launched a 3D Underwater Street View of it in 2014!

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand’s South Island, within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world’s top travel destination in an international survey (the 2008 Travelers’ Choice Destinations Awards by TripAdvisor) and is acclaimed as New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling had previously called it the eighth Wonder of the World.

Gobustan National Park, or Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, is located in the southeast part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range in Azerbaijan. It lies near the Jeyrankechmaz River, between the Pirsagat and Sumgait rivers, and about 40 miles southwest of Baku, on the west bank of the Caspian Sea. This unique area features deep ravines and is home to ancient carvings, mud volcanoes, and gas-stones. Designated a national historical landmark in 1966, Gobustan became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 due to its remarkable rock art, which offers insight into prehistoric life and cultural evolution.

Iguazu Falls is an impressive waterfall system located on the border between Argentina's Misiones province and Brazil's Paraná state. It's the largest waterfall system in the world, splitting the Iguazu River into upper and lower sections. The river rises near Curitiba, Brazil, but most of the falls are on the Argentine side. The name "Iguazu" translates from Guarani or Tupi as "big water." According to legend, a deity created the falls in anger after a woman named Naipí fled with her lover, Tarobá. The first European to document the falls was Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541.

The Amazon, spanning across nine South American nations—Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela—hosts the world’s largest forest, covering 6.7 million square kilometers. Often referred to as the "lungs of the world," it’s crucial for the planet's ecosystem and is a vital bio-reserve for these countries. The famous Amazon River runs through this forest, known for being the largest river by water discharge. Recent studies pinpoint the river’s furthest source, while its massive drainage basin, the largest in the world, processes about 20% of global river flow, making it a major environmental powerhouse.

The Grand Canyon (Hopi: Ongtupqa; Yavapai: Wi:kaʼi:la; Navajo: Tsékooh Hatsoh) is a steep-sided canyon in Arizona carved by the Colorado River. It spans 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide, and reaches depths of over a mile (6,093 feet). President Theodore Roosevelt championed its preservation. The canyon reveals nearly two billion years of geological history, with the Colorado River shaping it around 5 to 6 million years ago. It has been inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years, who regard it as a sacred site.

The Galápagos Islands, also known as Archipiélago de Colón, are a group of volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean, 906 km (563 miles) west of continental Ecuador. They straddle the Equator and make up part of Ecuador's Galápagos Province, including the Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve. This unique archipelago is home to over 25,000 residents, with Spanish as the primary language. The islands are famous for their wide variety of endemic species and played a crucial role in Charles Darwin's studies during the voyage of the Beagle, which helped shape his theory of evolution through natural selection.

The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a South Asian island nation located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India and Sri Lanka. Comprising 26 atolls over roughly 90,000 square kilometers, it is the smallest Asian country by both land area and population, with around 393,500 inhabitants. Malé, the capital, is known as the “King’s Island.” With an average elevation of just 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches), the Maldives is the world’s lowest country and faces challenges from rising sea levels. The economy relies heavily on fishing and a booming tourism sector, making it one of the wealthiest nations in the region.

The Jeita Grotto (Arabic: مغارة جعيتا‎‎) is a stunning system of two interconnected limestone caves, extending nearly 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) in the Nahr al-Kalb valley, just 18 kilometers (11 miles) north of Beirut, Lebanon. While the area was inhabited in prehistoric times, the lower cave was rediscovered in 1836 by Reverend William Thomson and can only be accessed by boat due to an underground river that supplies fresh drinking water to over a million people. In 1958, the upper galleries were discovered 60 meters (200 feet) above the lower cave, featuring safe access tunnels and walkways. The upper section contains the world’s largest stalactite and impressive chambers, with the tallest reaching 120 meters (390 feet). As a national symbol and top tourist attraction, Jeita Grotto plays a significant social, economic, and cultural role in Lebanon.

Hạ Long Bay (Vietnamese: Vịnh Hạ Long) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam. Known as “descending dragon bay,” it is famous for its thousands of limestone karsts and islets in various shapes. The bay is part of a larger area that includes Bái Tử Long Bay and Cát Bà Island, sharing similar geological and cultural features. Covering approximately 1,553 km², Hạ Long Bay contains 1,960 to 2,000 islets, primarily limestone, with a core area of 334 km² featuring a high density of 775 islets. The limestone formations have developed over 500 million years, with the karst landscape shaped over the last 20 million years by a tropical wet climate. This rich environment supports a diverse ecosystem, including 14 endemic plant species and 60 endemic animal species. Evidence suggests that prehistoric humans inhabited the area tens of thousands of years ago.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, also known as the Puerto Princesa Underground River, is located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, in the Philippines. This protected area lies in the Saint Paul Mountain Range along the island's western coast, bordered by St. Paul Bay to the north and the Babuyan River to the east. Managed by the City Government of Puerto Princesa since 1992, the park features an accessible entrance just a short hike or boat ride from Sabang. In 2010, environmentalists discovered a second level in the underground river, revealing small waterfalls and a dome that rises 300 meters (980 feet) above the river. The caves also host rock formations, large bats, various wildlife, and challenging deep areas that are difficult to explore due to low oxygen levels.

Table Mountain, known as Hoerikwaggo in Khoikhoi and Tafelberg in Afrikaans, is a flat-topped mountain and a prominent landmark overlooking Cape Town, South Africa. As a major tourist attraction, many visitors either hike or take a cableway to its summit. The mountain is part of Table Mountain National Park and features a flat plateau about 3 kilometers (2 miles) wide, edged by stunning cliffs and flanked by Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head. The highest point, marked by Maclear’s Beacon at 1,086 meters (3,563 feet), offers breathtaking views. The mountain is often shrouded in orographic clouds, creating a "table cloth" effect, a phenomenon associated with local legend. To the south lies the Back Table, while the Twelve Apostles are located along the Atlantic coast, continuing south to Cape Point.

The Matterhorn, known as Monte Cervino in Italian and Mont Cervin in French, is a prominent pyramid-shaped mountain in the Alps, straddling the border between Switzerland and Italy. Standing at 4,478 meters (14,692 feet), it ranks among the highest peaks in the Alps. The mountain features four steep faces that rise over glaciers and are separated by Hörnli, Furggen, Leone, and Zmutt ridges. Overlooking Zermatt in Switzerland and Breuil-Cervinia in Italy, the Matterhorn is a historical climbing destination. Its first ascent occurred in 1865, led by Edward Whymper, but ended tragically with the deaths of four climbers. Known for its iconic shape, the Matterhorn attracts many mountaineers and tourists, particularly via the popular northeast Hörnli ridge route. It is celebrated as an emblem of the Swiss Alps and has been part of the Swiss Federal Inventory of Natural Monuments since 1983.

The Cliffs of Moher (Irish: Aillte an Mhothair) are stunning natural cliffs located in County Clare, Ireland, at the southwestern edge of the Burren region. They rise 120 meters (390 feet) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag’s Head and reach their peak height of 214 meters (702 feet) near O’Brien’s Tower, eight kilometers to the north. Built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O’Brien, the tower offers breathtaking views of the Aran Islands, the Maumturks and Twelve Pins mountain ranges, and Loop Head.

Jeju-do, or Jeju Island, is a volcanic island spanning 1,846 square kilometers, making it the largest island off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. Located in the Korea Strait, southwest of South Jeolla Province, it is the main island of Jeju Province in South Korea. Jeju is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes, and features Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano, standing at 1,950 meters above sea level. The island was formed about 2 million years ago from volcanic eruptions during the Cenozoic era and features basalt and lava. Jeju has a humid subtropical climate, with cooler, dry winters and hot, humid summers.

El Yunque National Forest, located in northeastern Puerto Rico, is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System. The forest, formerly known as Luquillo National Forest, encompasses 28,000 acres (113.32 km²) and is situated on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains. The highest peak, El Toro, reaches 1,065 meters (3,494 feet). El Yunque, named after a possible Taíno word meaning "white lands" or the Spanish word for "anvil," features lush foliage, waterfalls, and rivers due to its high rainfall (over 200 inches per year). Numerous trails allow visitors to explore its diverse flora and fauna and view unique Taíno petroglyphs.

Mount Vesuvius (Italian: Monte Vesuvio) is a stratovolcano located about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) east of Naples, Italy. It is famous for its AD 79 eruption, which buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash and debris, killing at least 1,000 people. The eruption expelled ash and rock to a height of 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) and released immense energy. Vesuvius has erupted many times since and is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, with around 3 million people living nearby. Its explosive eruptions make it the most densely populated volcanic region globally.

Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania, is Africa's highest mountain, rising approximately 4,900 meters (16,000 feet) from its base to 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) above sea level. It features three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. The first recorded ascent to the summit was achieved by Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller in 1889. Kilimanjaro is part of Kilimanjaro National Park and is a popular destination for climbers. The mountain has also been the focus of various scientific studies due to its shrinking glaciers.

Kerepakupai Meru, also known as Salto Ángel or Angel Falls, is located in Venezuela and is the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall, with a height of 979 meters (3,212 feet) and a plunge of 807 meters (2,648 feet). It cascades over Auyantepui mountain within Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State. The total height of 979 meters includes the main plunge, approximately 400 meters of sloped cascade and rapids below the drop, and a 30-meter (98 feet) plunge downstream. The falls are situated along a fork of the Rio Kerepacupai Meru, which feeds into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River and ultimately the Orinoco River.