14 DAY TRIAL // Up until this point, some 261 sites throughout the globe have been nominated as participants to an international voting contest, whose aim is to determine the most beautiful and impressive natural sites in existence. The monuments span 22 countries and were selected from the top-voted nominees in these nations. Alongside already-famous places, such as Mount Everest, Loch Ness, and Niagara Falls, are also lesser-known sites, such as the Yasur Volcano, located in the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, and the Zuma Roc, a monolith in Nigeria.
"We are calling on people all over the world to actively show their appreciation for our natural world by joining together to celebrate the most extraordinary sites on our planet," urges New 7 Wonders campaign spokeswoman, Tia Viering, who adds that the organizers expect more than 1 billion people to vote their favorite spots until the poll closes.
When this stage of the voting process ends on the 7th of July, the non-profit Swiss organization behind the initiative will select 21 finalists. People will then be able to vote for their favorite locations via the Internet, text messages or telephone. In charge of the process overseeing the vote is a panel of nature experts, led by the former chief of UNESCO, Federico Mayor. This UN branch deals exclusively with matters related to education, science and culture.
"The enthusiasm for the campaign, which brought culture out of dusty corners and back to life on front pages, TV screens and computers everywhere, crossed all social and economic lines. Everyone from schoolchildren to entrepreneurs eagerly participated," Viering says.
The next round of voting, featuring only the remaining 21 sites selected in July will end in 2011, so as to allow as many people as possible to express their opinion. A previous poll conducted by the same organization, established the 7 new man-made wonders of the world, which include the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Colosseum in Italy, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal in India, Petra in Jordan, Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil, the citadel of Machu Picchu in Peru, and the Pyramid at Chichen Itza in Mexico.