Sights seen in the mind's eye can never be destroyed

Strabo (64 BC - AD 21)

Six out of seven Ancient Wonders did not survive to this present day. Human imagination urged poets, writers, and historians to seek "replacements" for the fallen monuments. Some proposed a new list for the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Others argued that Ancient civilizations which the Greeks did not know of, erected monuments that should have been included in the original list. Wonders such as the Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal in Agra, and the Temple of Angkor in Cambodia are a few examples.

Like the ancient list, the new ones include fascinating monuments and structures that changed the existing landscape. However, no single list won unanimous approval among historians, artists, and architects. Here is an alphabetical listing of some Forgotten, Modern, and Natural Wonders.

Forgotten Wonders

• Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt
• Angkor Wat in Cambodia
• The Aztec Temple in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), Mexico
• The Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines
• Borobudur Temple in Indonesia
• The Colosseum in Rome, Italy
• The Great Wall of China
• The Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
• The Mayan Temples of Tikal in Northern Guatemala
• The Moai Statues in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile
• Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France
• The Throne Hall of Persepolis in Iran
• The Parthenon in Athens, Greece
• Petra, the rock-carved city in Jordan
• The Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar
• Stonehenge in England
• Taj Mahal in Agra, India
• The Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico

Modern Wonders

• The Channel Tunnel
• The Clock Tower (Big Ben) in London, England
• The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada
• Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
• The Empire State Building in New York City, USA
• The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, USA
• The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA
• The High Dam in Aswan, Egypt
• Hoover Dam in Arizona/Nevada, USA
• Itaipú Dam in Brazil/Paraguay
• Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, USA
• The Panama Canal
• The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• The Statue of Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• The Statue of Liberty in New York City, USA
• The Suez Canal in Egypt
• The Sydney Opera House in Australia

Natural Wonders

• Angel Falls in Venezuela
• The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada
• The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA
• The Great Barrier Reef in Australia
• Iguaçú Falls in Brazil/Argentina
• Krakatoa Island in Indonesia
• Mount Everest in Nepal
• Mount Fuji in Japan
• Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
• Niagara Falls in Ontario (Canada) and New York State (USA)
• Paricutin Volcano in Mexico
• Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe

Note: The color painting at the top of the page is of artistic nature and does not necessarily represent an accurate reconstruction of the Wonder. Painting by Mario Larrinaga.