The seven wonders of the world are usually taken to be the seven wonders of the ancient world, the name of a list of the most impressive achievements of ancient civilizations in the east of the Mediterranean world. This list is supposed to have been written by someone close to Alexander the Great, in order to emphasize the size of his empire: in fact, the seven wonders demarcate the territory Alexander had conquered. The originator of the list is usually given as Antipater of Sidon, who listed the structures in a poem (around 140 BC): "I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand.'" (Antipater, Greek Anthology IX.58) The historian Herodotus, the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305–240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, and the engineer Philon of Byzantium had made earlier lists but the writings have not survived, except as references. The Greek category was not "Wonders" but "theamata"— closer to "must-sees". Five Sets of Seven Wonders There are many conflicting sources regarding the Seven Wonders of the World, and for good reason. Each succeeding age has added new accomplishments and discoveries, giving us dozens of wonders to gaze in awe upon. Many consider there are five sets of World Wonders: 1. Ancient Wonders of the World 2. Medieval Wonders of the World 3. Natural Wonders of the World 4. Underwater Wonders of the World 5. Modern Wonders of the World The Seven Wonders 44.59100009280809 38.21659913467201 10830156.07107223 -7.562334986824107e-015 14.0356341458684 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_the_World#Ancient_Wonders The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, with the Pharos of Alexandria, is medieval in origin. Antipater's list had the walls of Babylon rather than the lighthouse. In chronological order, they are: 1. Colossus of Rhodes - a huge statue of Helios, built ca 292–280 BC, in present Greece. 2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon - built by Nebuchadnezzar II, ca 8th–6th century BC, in present Iraq. 3. Mausoleum of Halicarnassus - tomb of Mausolus, the Persian satrap of Caria, built between ca 353 and 351 BC, at Halicarnassus, present Bodrum, Turkey. 4. Pharos of Alexandria - lighthouse built ca 280 BC on the island of Pharos off Alexandria, by Sostratus of Cnidus, in present Egypt. 5. Pyramids of Giza - serving as tombs for the Egyptian pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, in present Egypt. Built during Egypt's 4th dynasty (ca 2575–ca 2465 BC) 6. Statue of Zeus - at Olympia, carved by the Greek sculptor Phidias, ca 430 BC in present Greece. 7. Temple of Artemis - 356 BC, at Ephesus, present Turkey. Two of each of the wonders were within the territories of today's Egypt, Greece, and Turkey, and one in Iraq. The only surviving wonder is the first built, the Pyramids of Giza. The wonder with the shortest life span was the Colossus of Rhodes, which kept its erect posture for only 56 years before being brought down by an earthquake. There is some controversy as to whether the Hanging Gardens of Babylon ever in fact existed. Ancient Wonders 32.51672302629982 34.50230937579787 2608848.216815696 4.120099481114132e-013 2.725268173776353 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_of_Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes was a huge statue of the god Helios, erected on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos in the 3rd century BC. It was roughly the same size as the Statue of Liberty in New York, although it stood on a lower platform. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Colossus of Rhodes 28.2179805104613 36.42653454894646 38687.91837866627 -2.663305157744491e-012 2.528038589530064 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 28.23044013376604,36.44697643697612,80.32623302703541 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_Gardens_of_Babylon The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (also known as the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis) and the walls of Babylon were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. They were both supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC (present-day Iraq). However, there are doubts as to whether they ever physically existed. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon 44.44382921116974 32.48038164128765 13013.11828337719 -1.890479909704498e-011 -0.1927866590746173 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 44.44100475011416,32.4783982182457,29.61525571954009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Halicarnassus The Mausoleum of Maussollos, the Persian satrap of Caria (351 BC, at Halicarnassus (present Bodrum), Turkey), was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The word mausoleum came to be used generically for any grand tomb. This enormous white marble tomb was built to hold the remains of Mausolus (Greek Μαύσωλος Maúsōlos), a provincial king in the Persian Empire, and his wife, Artemisia. Greek architects Satyrus and Pythius designed the approximately 45-metre-high tomb (135 feet), and four famous Grecian sculptors added an ornamental frieze (decorated band) around its exterior. The Mausoleum of Maussollos 27.43333200000011 37.03333300000281 9399.374458689206 -8.334052079188246e-012 -6.209578325559457e-014 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 27.43403854980566,37.03820235802582,156.7655539861035 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharos_of_Alexandria The Lighthouse of Alexandria (often called the "Pharos of Alexandria" after the island on which it resided), was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was built in the 3rd century BC and remained operational until it was largely destroyed by two earthquakes in the 14th century. It was a tower that is estimated to have been 134 m (440 ft) high, at the time one of the tallest man-made structures on Earth. It was built of blocks of white stone. The tower was made up of three stages, a lower square with a central core, a middle octagonal section, and at the top a circular section. At its apex was positioned a mirror which reflected sunlight during the day; a fire was lit at night. As it can be seen from images of the Lighthouse on Roman coins struck by the Alexandrian mint, there were four statues of tritons blowing horns, one on every corner of the building. Also in the Roman period there was a statue atop the tower. Pharos later became the etymological origin of the word 'lighthouse' in many Romance languages, such as French (phare), Italian (faro), Portuguese (farol) and Spanish (faro). The Pharos of Alexandria 29.92452943622466 31.23728319159443 116442.3096855992 6.845170714537333e-013 0.00274301244246467 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 29.91806385401197,31.24903371984409,0.6028256326383248 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Zeus_at_Olympia The Statue of Zeus at Olympia carved by the famed Greek sculptor Phidias (5th century BC) in 435 BC, in present-day Greece, was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In AD 394, it was taken to Constantinople (modern Istanbul) the capital of the Byzantine Empire, where it was probably destroyed in an accidental fire. The seated statue occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it. According to a contemporary source, it was about 12 metres tall. "It seems that if Zeus were to stand up," the geographer Strabo noted early in the 1st century BC, "he would unroof the temple." Zeus was carved from ivory (technically the ivory was soaked in a liquid that made it more malleable, so the ivory was shaped rather than carved) and was seated on a magnificent throne made of cedarwood and inlaid with ivory, gold, ebony and precious stones. In Zeus' right hand there was a small statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, and in his left hand a shining sceptre on which an eagle perched. Visitors like the Roman general Aemilius Paulus, the victor over Macedon, were moved to awe by the godlike majesty and splendor that Phidias had captured. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia 21.45972222222224 38.63999999997543 37291.57582124171 -2.645603763379787e-011 -6.134557066958323e-014 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 21.45972308531462,38.63999944911532,284.3473482379923 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza, (sometimes spelled Gizeh) is the oldest and last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the World and the most famous pyramid in the world. It is presumed to have served as the tomb of the Fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (also known under his Greek name Cheops), after whom it is often called "Khufu's pyramid." The Great Pyramid of Giza 31.13615124253233 29.97940428746998 10652.48015411847 7.234312128201238e-012 -0.06345270858722328 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 31.1326586939278,29.97708813597934,100.6185942719032 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Artemis The Temple of Artemis also called Artemision in Greek, and Artemisium in Latin (440 BC, at Ephesus (present day Turkey)), figured in the classic lists of the Seven Wonders of the World drawn up in Alexandria. It took 120 years to build, and was started by King Croesus of Lydia. Scarcely anything remains at the site. The Temple of Artemis 27.36666700000004 37.94999999999646 81324.73291492373 -2.851916024448239e-013 -5.42111538763428e-014 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 27.3666667854698,37.94999743215178,275.6163853846521 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_the_World#Medieval_Wonders After the collapse of the great civilizations of antiquity, the memories of the destroyed ancient wonders faded. Scholars and philosophers reviewed and rewrote the lists of wonders, removing old ones and replacing them with "newly built" as tales of them spread. Over the centuries a consensus emerged in the form of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval Mind list: 1. Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa 2. Colosseum 3. Great Wall of China 4. Hagia Sophia 5. Leaning Tower of Pisa 6. Porcelain Tower of Nanjing (Nanjing, China) 7. Stonehenge (United Kingdom) Medieval Wonders 21.97145763245051 41.28039951656764 3876480.870582992 -1.130109182320608e-011 14.2782432071125 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catacombs_of_Kom_el_Shoqafa The necropolis consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs of the Pharaonic funeral cult with Hellenistic and early Imperial Roman influences. A circular staircase leads down into tombs that were tunneled into the bedrock during the age of the Antonine emperors (2nd century AD). The facility was in use from the 2nd century AD to the 4th century. The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa 29.90462247918025 31.18690071471539 12569.7465821522 2.791168394859883e-012 1.329971346879424 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 29.90462227332495,31.18690206896669,0.9508451169421953 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum The Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater (lat. Amphitheatrum Flavium), also referred to as the Coliseum, is an amphitheater in Rome, capable of seating 50,000 spectators, which was once used for gladiatorial combat. Its construction began under the Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD and was completed by his son, Domitian, in the 80s AD. It was built at the site of Nero's enormous palace, the Domus Aurea, which had been built after the great fire of Rome in 64. Some historians opine that the construction of the Colosseum might have been financed by the looting of King Herod the Great's Temple in Jerusalem which occurred about 70 AD. Dio Cassius said that 9,000 wild animals were killed in the one hundred days of celebration which inaugurated the amphitheatre opening. The Colosseum's name was derived from a colossus (a 130 foot statue) of Nero nearby. This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Sol, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. The Colosseum 12.49241395753246 41.89007618230922 21098.70727989519 7.930248206747209e-012 -8.29149483962968 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 12.49241462266515,41.8900759089213,42.16994302744806 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China (Eastern end placemarked) The Great Wall of China (TC: 長城; SC: 长城, Pinyin: Chángchéng), also known in China as the Great Wall of 10,000 Li¹ (SC: 万里长城, Pinyin: Wànlĭ Chángchéng), is an ancient Chinese fortification built from the end of the 15th century until the beginning of the 16th century, during the Ming Dynasty, in order to protect China from raids by the Mongols and Turkic tribes. It was preceded by several walls built since the 3rd century BC against the raids of nomadic tribes coming from areas now in modern day Mongolia and Manchuria. The Wall stretches over a formidable 6,700 km (4,200 miles), from Shanhai Pass on the Bohai Gulf in the east, at the limit between China proper and Manchuria, to Jiayu Pass (嘉峪关) in western Gansu province in the west, at the limit of the Gobi Desert and the oases of the Silk Road. The Great Wall of China 119.7950281649066 39.96507358101211 69257.4692074514 -3.1683916832697e-012 -0.7611077523963891 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 119.7923845431385,39.9646272198267,2.781961982786934 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia The Church of the Holy Wisdom, variously known as Hagia Sophia (Άγια Σοφία) in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin or Ayasofya in Turkish, is a former Greek Orthodox church and mosque now a museum, in Istanbul, formerly Constantinople. It is universally acknowledged as one of the great buildings of the world. Hagia Sophia 28.97735179729298 41.00866612774585 35847.19714515952 1.090553304357337e-011 0.008283608467875887 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 28.97781061351802,41.00889483847186,72.54988169786792 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or bell tower, of the Italian city of Pisa's cathedral. The tower was intended to stand vertically, but began leaning soon after construction started in August of 1173. The height of the tower is 55 metres from the ground. Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tonnes. The current inclination is about ten percent. The tower has 296 steps. The Leaning Tower of Pisa 10.39606647347659 43.72347199457263 18543.99532558648 1.491100817665572e-011 0.008803632568398577 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 10.39577773436749,43.72331539355552,3.620004181065542 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Porcelain_Tower_of_Nanjing The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing , (Chinese: 南京陶塔; Pinyin: Nanjing Taota), also known as Bao'ensi (报恩寺), the "Temple of Gratitude", is located in Nanjing, an ancient capital of China, out on the south bank of the Yangtze River. The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing is one of the Seven Wonders of the World in the middle ages. Warfare and subsequent destruction overtook it in the 19th century, and it is now under reconstruction. Porcelain Tower of Nanjing 118.807478450406 32.0810977192474 70195.05162648478 -5.207842642112059e-013 0.01271770150589291 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 118.7302172409466,32.08034927398192,16.43612677063751 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge Stonehenge is a Neolithic and Bronze Age monument located near Amesbury in the English county of Wiltshire, about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Salisbury. It is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones, known as megaliths. There is some debate about the age of the stone circle, but most archaeologists think that it was mainly constructed between 2500 BC and 2000 BC. The older circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. The name Stonehenge is derived from the Old English words Stanhen gist meaning the 'hanging stones' and has given its name to a class of monuments known as henges. Archaeologists define henges as earthworks consisting of a circular banked enclosure with an internal ditch. As often happens in archaeological terminology this is a holdover from antiquarian usage and Stonehenge cannot in fact be truly classified as a henge site as its bank is inside its ditch. Despite being contemporary with true Neolithic henges and stone circles, Stonehenge is in many ways atypical. It is only distantly related to the other stone circles in the British Isles such as the Ring of Brodgar as for example its extant trilithons make it unique. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986. It is also a legally-protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument itself is owned and managed by English Heritage whilst the surrounding downland is owned by the National Trust. Stonehenge -1.827341068290622 51.17834581241513 34099.25979792864 -1.285152827583188e-011 -0.03431102145297818 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -1.826493937704299,51.17784692491244,130.9589718160254 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_the_World#Natural_Wonders Similar to other list of wonders, there is no consensus on a list of seven natural wonders of the world. This list was compiled by CNN Natural Wonders 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon Grand Canyon is a colorful, steep-sided gorge, carved by the Colorado River, in northern Arizona. The canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and is largely contained in the Grand Canyon National Park — one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of the Grand Canyon area, visiting on numerous occasions to hunt mountain lions and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Grand Canyon -112.2310854393059 36.1688347257858 85112.48826770998 -7.464671320955783e-013 -0.2122611212039048 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -112.2310866293368,36.1688333737246,1754.695153352296 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef. The reef is located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. It stretches over 2000 kilometres in length and can be seen from space. The first European explorer to see the Great Barrier Reef was Captain James Cook during his 1768 voyage. Cook discovered the reef by running aground on it June 11th 1770. Due to its vast biodiversity, warm clear waters and its accessibility from the floating guest facilities called 'live aboards', the Reef is a very popular destination for scuba divers. Many cities along the Queensland coast offer boat trips to the reef on a daily basis. Several continental islands have been turned into resorts. The Great Barrier Reef is sometimes referred to as the single largest living animal being in the world. In reality it is many colonies of corals. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Great Barrier Reef 150.236177194718 -20.76167086586113 661942.2532237019 -1.406385844798931e-013 -0.2994682300044439 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 150.2361758893341,-20.76167129368459,0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. The city is famous for the hotel-lined tourist beaches Copacabana and Ipanema, for the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer ("Cristo Redentor") on the Corcovado mountain, and for its yearly Carnival celebration.It also has the biggest forest inside an urban region, called "Floresta da Tijuca". The current mayor is Cesar Maia. Rio de Janeiro is located at 22 degrees, 54 minutes south latitude, 43 degrees 14 minutes west longitude. The population of the city proper of Rio de Janeiro is about 6,150,000 (as of 2004), occupying an area of 1256 km² (485 sq. miles). The larger metropolitan area population is estimated at 10-13 million. It's Brazil's second-largest city after São Paulo and used to be the country's capital until 1960, when Brasília took its place. Harbour of Rio de Janeiro -43.16590504964496 -22.93186776593549 12753.22057050054 1.495465233157416e-011 -0.02626160903173049 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -43.16798252671266,-22.94347928856682,2.606406556489811 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest Everest is the highest mountain on Earth (as measured from sea level). The summit ridge of the mountain marks the border between Nepal and Tibet. In Nepal, the mountain is called Sagarmatha (Sanskrit for "Forehead of the Sky") and in Tibetan Chomolangma or Qomolangma ("Mother of the Universe"), pronounced in Chinese 珠穆朗玛峰 ( pinyin: Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng). Although named in honour of Sir George Everest, the popular pronunciation of Everest (EV-uh-rist, IPA: [ˈɛvərist]) is different from how Sir George pronounced his own last name (EV-uh-rest). Mt Everest 86.91836644510795 27.98342813014468 32134.67201664047 4.992621584496811e-007 -0.009528647931063077 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 86.92215630575745,27.98290361237431,8528.764976314213 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_Aurora Polar aurorae are optical phenomena characterized by colorful displays of light in the night sky. An auroral display in the Northern Hemisphere is called the aurora borealis, or the northern lights; in the Southern Hemisphere it is called the aurora australis. Auroras are the most visible effect of the solar wind upon the Earth's atmosphere. The aurora occur when the Van Allen radiation belts become "overloaded" with energetic particles, which cascade down magnetic field lines and collide with the earth's upper atmosphere. The most powerful aurora tend to occur after coronal mass ejections. Aurora in Latin means dawn and Borealis comes from Boreas, the name of the Greek god of the northern wind. Polar aurora -2.134219271566138 85.09776925265462 3897092.012276084 89.99999999999997 49.18870443335501 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -42.14618660752344,74.67107156844052,-7.073230889886874e-010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paricutin_Volcano Paricutín is a volcano in the Mexican state of Michoacán, close to the village of the same name. It appears on many versions of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World list, although none of these lists are by any means authoritative. Prior to 1943, this volcano did not exist. During the first several weeks of that year a number of strange thunderings were heard by the inhabitants in and around the small village of Paricutín, in spite of clear weather. These turned out to be caused by tremors occurring deep beneath the village. Seismic activity intensified until 20 February, when local farmer Dioniso Pulido witnessed the opening of a volcanic fissure in the middle of his cornfield. According to some accounts, villagers attempted to close the fissures by filling them with rocks and soil before small explosions and violent tremors began to shake the area. The residents of the nearby villages fled as pyroclastic activity began that day, and within 24 hours of the initial fissure the volcano had already built into a 50 meter high cone. Within a week this height had doubled. Paricutín Volcano -102.3098494814299 19.41722945179124 41671.04436676115 9.147826005963418e-013 -0.008823481887394095 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -102.3108818560167,19.41272345506147,3656.62052384708 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Falls Victoria Falls is the world's largest, most spectacular waterfall and one of the world's seven natural wonders. It is 1.6 km wide with a maximum drop of 128 m (420 ft), in the Zambezi River, on the Zambia and Zimbabwe border. The falls are formed as the Zambezi plummets into a narrow chasm (c.400 ft/120 m wide) carved by its waters along a fracture zone in the earth's crust. Numerous islets at the crest of the falls divide the water to form a series of falls. The thick mist and loud roar produced there are perceptible from a distance of about 25 mi (40 km). The Boiling Pot, the beginning of a winding gorge (c.50 mi/80 km long) through which the river flows below the falls, is spanned by a 650 ft (198 m) long bridge that is 310 ft (94 m) above the river. In times of flood, it discharges as much as 9,100 m³/s (320,000 cubic feet per second) of water. But the statistics are hard to fathom. Suffice it to say that the mighty cascade of the Zambezi River, as it plunges into the Batoka Gorge, is the widest curtain of falling water on the planet.David Livingstone, the British explorer, visited the falls in 1855 and named them for Queen Victoria. The falls were formerly known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the "smoke that thunders." The falls are part of two national parks and draw many tourists to the area. Victoria Falls 25.84825359498855 -17.9209304394602 35702.41031420336 -4.480017827004173e-012 -0.001850500547922799 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 25.84825447502785,-17.92092994269686,909.1755771431016 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_the_World#Underwater_Wonders Though the Underwater Wonders of the World are also all natural and not made by man; these wonders are either bodies of water, occur underwater, or are surrounded by water. Underwater Wonders 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize Belize is home to the longest barrier reef in the western hemisphere and the second longest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. Belize Barrier Reef -88.24222214379972 17.11223444792039 284056.9632347585 1.556072807514781e-011 0.05664542961758363 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -88.13057780384391,16.99452425028789,0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_smoker Black smokers are a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. Generally hundreds of meters wide, black smokers are formed when superheated water from below the Earth's crust comes through the ocean floor. They are rich in dissolved minerals from the crust, most notably sulfides, which crystallize to create a chimney-like structure around the vent. When the superheated water in the vent comes in contact with the frigid ocean water, many minerals are precipitated, creating the distinctive black color. Black smokers were first discovered in 1977 around the Galapagos Islands by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They were observed using a small submersible vehicle called Alvin. Today, black smokers are known to exist in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, at an average depth of 2100 meters. The temperature of the water they vent can reach 400 °C, but does not boil due to the high pressure it is under at that depth. The water is also extremely acidic, often having a pH value as low as 2.8 -- approximately that of vinegar. Deep-sea Vents -88.71912931605448 1.028717621166822 881353.8177778598 -4.821524080180906e-009 -0.04131593816065911 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -88.54692558295631,1.499857001228077,0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galapagos_Islands The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of some 13 volcanic islands and associated islets and rocks located in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 kilometers west of the coast of South America. The Galápagos archipelago is politically part of Ecuador. The oldest of the islands are about 4 million years old and the youngest are still in the process of being formed. Indeed, the Galápagos islands are considered to be one of the most active volcanic areas in the world. They are famed for their vast number of endemic species and the studies conducted by Charles Darwin that led to his theory of natural selection. The islands are distributed to the north and south of the equator. The equator crosses the northern part of the largest island, Isabela. Galápagos Islands -90.33031473433873 -0.3525800332245555 550886.5351832712 -4.821519344479327e-009 -0.002931889720468507 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -90.33660550949962,-0.6205062713076295,0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef. The reef is located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. It stretches over 2000 kilometres in length and can be seen from space. The first European explorer to see the Great Barrier Reef was Captain James Cook during his 1768 voyage. Cook discovered the reef by running aground on it June 11th 1770. Due to its vast biodiversity, warm clear waters and its accessibility from the floating guest facilities called 'live aboards', the Reef is a very popular destination for scuba divers. Many cities along the Queensland coast offer boat trips to the reef on a daily basis. Several continental islands have been turned into resorts. The Great Barrier Reef is sometimes referred to as the single largest living animal being in the world. In reality it is many colonies of corals. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Great Barrier Reef 150.236177194758 -20.76167087300961 585963.9964679348 -4.830400585719433e-009 -0.299468230018632 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 150.2361757141671,-20.76167271159871,0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal Lake Baikal (Russian: О́зеро Байка́л (Ozero Baykal)), a lake in southern Siberia, Russia, between Irkutsk Oblast on the northwest and Buryatia on the southeast, near Irkutsk. At 636 km long and 80 km wide, it is the largest freshwater lake in Asia (31,494 km²) and the deepest lake in the world (1637m - previously measured to 1620m). Its age is estimated at 25-30 million years, making it one of the world's most ancient lakes in geological history. It is unique among large, high-latitude lakes in that its sediments have not been scoured by overriding continental ice sheets. U.S. and Russian studies of sediment cores in the 1990s provide a detailed record of climatic variation over the past 250,000 years. Longer and deeper sediment cores are expected in the near future. If all the sediment were scoured from the lake, it would be 9 km deep. Lake Baikal 107.8320309740987 53.61215026797662 833526.575497334 -5.792141524419445e-012 11.96458291202858 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 107.8320309740987,53.61215026797662,0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea The Red Sea (Arabic البحر الأحمر Baḥr al-Aḥmar, al-Baḥru l-’Aḥmar; Hebrew ים סוף Yam Suf) is a gulf or basin of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden. In the north is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez (leading to the Suez Canal). The sea is roughly 1900 km long and at its widest is over 300 km. The sea floor has a maximum depth of 2,500 m in the central median trench and an average depth of 500 m, but it also has extensive shallow shelves, noted for their marine life and corals. The sea has a surface area of roughly 438,000 or 450,000 km². The sea is the habitat of over 1000 invertebrate species and 200 soft and hard corals. The sea occupies a part of the Great Rift Valley. Northern Red Sea 36.16814831321878 26.31525641979811 1549319.240620201 -5.71197454916836e-012 0.4817175954739473 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 35.61923760757009,25.79353028399179,0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau A group of about 200 volcanic islands and islets in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. When the Carolines became part of the Federated States of Micronesia in 1978, Palau chose to form a republic in free association with the United States, which became effective in 1994. The capital is Koror. Population: 20,000 . Palau 134.796732430679 7.574519028151614 830660.9078475164 -5.727881823708965e-012 0.05706993753881506 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 134.5065728351103,7.405918279111717,0 Modern Wonders 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel The Channel Tunnel, (French: le tunnel sous la Manche); once popularly nicknamed the Chunnel in English) is a 50km long rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover, connecting Cheriton in Kent, England and Sangatte in northern France. A long-standing and hugely expensive project that saw several false starts, it was finally completed in 1994. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world, surpassed only by the Seikan Tunnel in Japan. It is operated by Eurotunnel plc. Channel Tunnel 1.24395085861282 50.94463622632915 117001.9536160489 4.361010396597017e-011 0.7950963153429347 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 1.267811922366676,50.88718778019337,0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CN_Tower At 553.33 meters (1,815.39 feet), Canada's National Tower is the world's tallest free-standing structure on land. The CN Tower is located in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is considered the signature icon of the city which attracts over 2 million visitors yearly. Built in 1976 by Canadian National Railway (CN) to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry, the tower was originally designed as a radio and television transmitting antenna. There are microwave receivers for distant signals at about 305 meters, and the top of the transmission antenna is at the apex of the tower. Metal staircases with 1776 steps reach the Skypod level (447m) and are the tallest metal staircase on earth. CN Tower -79.38730113957413 43.64186081550366 700.0339803193346 7.62383472118808e-013 -4.434856357669954e-005 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -79.38728819245814,43.64182789674157,106.5258756828629 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building The Empire State Building, a 102-story Art Deco building in New York City, was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates and built in 1930. The tower takes its name from the nickname of New York State. The American Society of Civil Engineers declared the Empire State Building as one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. The building also belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers. Empire State Building -73.9861283754759 40.74804943749047 637.0999999985152 -9.542615664004899e-011 162.9192563317839 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -73.98558648483929,40.74802176129118,11.70567508532793 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. It connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and a portion of the south-facing Marin County headlands near the small bayside town of Sausalito, and is located at 37°49′ N 122°29′ W (http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=37_49_N_122_29_W_300000). The bridge is 1.22 miles (1970 m) long, the distance between the towers ("main span") is 4200 ft (1280 m), and their height is 746 feet (230 m) above the water. The bridge was the brainchild of Joseph Strauss, an engineer responsible for over 400 drawbridges, though they were far smaller than this project and mostly inland. Strauss spent over a decade drumming up support in Northern California. Strauss's initial proposal for this location was not at all pretty[1] (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/news_events/exhibits/bridge/up028.html), being comprised of a massive cantilever on each side connected with a central suspension segment. Other key figures in the bridge's construction include architect Irving Morrow, responsible for the Art Deco touches and the choice of color, and engineer Charles Alton Ellis and bridge designer Leon Moisseiff, who collaborated on the complicated mathematics. Golden Gate Bridge -122.4781650916098 37.81846673072082 5837.661218951828 -6.996422274898034e-012 -23.46492754106059 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -122.4786539088484,37.81824848168223,134.0417786496525 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itaipu Itaipu (Portuguese: Itaipu; pronounced [itaj'pu]) is a dam that includes the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. It is situated along the Paraná River. The plant consists of 18 generator units of 700 MW (megawatts) each, allowing for a total ouput of 12,600 MW of power. The first generators started running in May 1984 and the final generator started running on April 9, 1991. Although it is not the largest dam in the world, it has the largest generating capacity and produces the most electricity. Its generating capacity (but not its annual production of electricity) will be surpassed by China's Three Gorges Dam. Two more generator units are currently being built. When finished in the first half of 2005, Itaipu will be capable of a total output of 14,000 MW of power. The name "Itaipu" is derived from the Tupi Guarani language and means "singing stones". It has been declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Itaipu -54.61534011263013 -25.39318907644065 441912.9734339383 9.079412109680554e-013 9.036184812030735 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -54.608193987087,-25.39670860361036,224.7379459361535 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Works In the North Sea Flood of 1953 a break in the dikes and seawalls in the Netherlands killed 1,835 people and forced the evacuation of 70,000 more. Ten thousand animals drowned, and 4,500 buildings were destroyed. To prevent such a tragedy from happening again, an ambitious flood defense system was conceived and deployed, called the Delta Works (Dutch: Deltawerken). Delta Works 3.780890801604954 51.74790198503894 252870.2269108695 1.563883901407797e-011 -0.09724897651417429 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 3.787290235158025,51.65085984688921,7.482978463003014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal The Panama Canal is a large canal, 51 miles (82 kilometres) long, that cuts through the isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Because of the S shape of Panama, the Atlantic lies to the west of the canal and the Pacific to the east, reversing the normal orientation. The canal has two sets of canal locks on the Pacific side and one on the Atlantic. At the Atlantic end, the massive steel gates of the triple locks at Gatún are 70 feet (21 m) high and weigh 745 tons each, but are so well-counterbalanced that a 30 kW (40 horsepower) engine suffices to open and close them. Lake Gatún, which is 26 metres above sea level, is fed by the Chagres River, which was dammed to make the lake. From Lake Gatún, the canal passes through the continental divide at the Gaillard Cut, and then descends to the Pacific first through a single set of locks at Pedro Miguel to Miraflores Lake at 16.5 metres above sea level, and then through a double set of locks at Miraflores. All the locks on the canal are paired so that ships may pass in both directions. The ships are hauled through the locks with small railway engines. The Pacific end of the canal is 24 cm higher than the Atlantic end and has much greater tides. Several islands are located within the Lake Gatún portion of the Panama Canal, including Barro Colorado Island, a world-famous wildlife sanctuary. Panama Canal -79.4336451298218 9.303448946871493 373057.9981162652 1.511137397983607e-011 1.275196689671661 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -79.4336451298218,9.303448946871493,0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Wonders_of_the_World#New_7_Wonders A project that features the first global vote for the seven wonders. New 7 Wonders 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China (Eastern end placemarked) The Great Wall of China (TC: 長城; SC: 长城, Pinyin: Chángchéng), also known in China as the Great Wall of 10,000 Li¹ (SC: 万里长城, Pinyin: Wànlĭ Chángchéng), is an ancient Chinese fortification built from the end of the 15th century until the beginning of the 16th century, during the Ming Dynasty, in order to protect China from raids by the Mongols and Turkic tribes. It was preceded by several walls built since the 3rd century BC against the raids of nomadic tribes coming from areas now in modern day Mongolia and Manchuria. The Wall stretches over a formidable 6,700 km (4,200 miles), from Shanhai Pass on the Bohai Gulf in the east, at the limit between China proper and Manchuria, to Jiayu Pass (嘉峪关) in western Gansu province in the west, at the limit of the Gobi Desert and the oases of the Silk Road. Great Wall of China 119.7950281649066 39.96507358101212 69257.4692074514 -2.510902484451061e-012 -0.7611077523964072 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 119.7950288318248,39.96507425845993,24.51959031560802 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potala_Palace The Potala Palace, located in Lhasa, Tibet, was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala after a failed uprising in 1959. Today the Potala Palace is a state museum. It is now a popular tourist attraction and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built on the side of Potala Hill, Potala Palace, with its vast inward-sloping walls broken only in the upper parts by straight rows of many windows, and its flat roofs at various levels, is not unlike a fortress in appearance. At the south base of the rock is a large space enclosed by walls and gates, with great porticos on the inner side. A series of tolerably easy staircases, broken by intervals of gentle ascent, leads to the summit of the rock. The whole width of this is occupied by the palace. The central part of this group of buildings rises in a vast quadrangular mass above its satellites to a great height, terminating in gilt canopies similar to those on the Jokhang. This central member of Potala is called the "red palace" from its crimson colour, which distinguishes it from the rest. It contains the principal halls and chapels and shrines of past Dalai Lamas. There is in these much rich decorative painting, with jewelled work, carving and other ornament. Potala Palace 91.1018806245429 29.65808136192777 29111.1358307251 -0.06453133160546241 0.001718084898902351 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 91.10011734636632,29.65026618586241,3765.179220085833 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal Taj Mahal is the name of a monument located in Agra, India. It was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the son of Jahangir, as a mausoleum for his Persian wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, also known as Mumtaz-ul-Zamani. It took 23 years to complete (1630 - 1653). Taj Mahal 78.04345774059496 27.17351409662903 10976.78598137874 7.87658123041484e-012 -1.042127571906792e-014 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 78.04254186306994,27.17327408440265,169.3683646531326 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum The Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater (lat. Amphitheatrum Flavium), also referred to as the Coliseum, is an amphitheater in Rome, capable of seating 50,000 spectators, which was once used for gladiatorial combat. Its construction began under the Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD and was completed by his son, Domitian, in the 80s AD. It was built at the site of Nero's enormous palace, the Domus Aurea, which had been built after the great fire of Rome in 64. Some historians opine that the construction of the Colosseum might have been financed by the looting of King Herod the Great's Temple in Jerusalem which occurred about 70 AD. Dio Cassius said that 9,000 wild animals were killed in the one hundred days of celebration which inaugurated the amphitheatre opening. The Colosseum's name was derived from a colossus (a 130 foot statue) of Nero nearby. This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Sol, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. Roman Colosseum 12.49241395753255 41.89007618230912 21098.70727990651 3.432107453550521e-012 -8.291494839629696 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 12.49241413993387,41.89007699569042,42.17092164002136 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or bell tower, of the Italian city of Pisa's cathedral. The tower was intended to stand vertically, but began leaning soon after construction started in August of 1173. The height of the tower is 55 metres from the ground. Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tonnes. The current inclination is about ten percent. The tower has 296 steps. The Leaning Tower of Pisa 10.39606647347659 43.72347199457263 18543.99532558718 1.985649445888411e-011 0.008803632568384076 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 10.39606632070033,43.72346885415487,18.72273369676393 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moai Moai (pronounced MOH-EYE) are stone statues on Easter Island. In most cases, the statues are monolithic, that is, carved from single stones, but some have additional, separate stone Pukau placed on the heads. The more than 600 known Moais are distributed around the entire island. Most of the moai were carved out of the rock at Rano Raraku, where nearly 400 more moai remain in various stages of completion. The quarry there seems to have been abandoned abruptly, with half-carved statues left in the rock. Practically all of the completed moai were subsequently toppled by native islanders in the period after construction ceased. Map of Easter Island showing locations of Moai Enlarge Map of Easter Island showing locations of Moai Although usually identified as "heads", many of the moai have shoulders, arms, and torsos, which have become buried over the years. The meaning of the moai is still unclear, and many theories surround these statues. Moai -109.3321022860246 -27.10085473984326 87722.92541346414 -1.037790299827702e-012 -0.03796997374424669 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -109.3424578436229,-27.10415281091974,2.329646995219027 Chichen Itza is the most impressive and intact ruins of Mayan civilization that the modern world has. This now popular tourist attraction is located on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and has fast become the best restored record of the spiritual, domestic, and agricultural lives of these people. Mayan ruins in central America, such as Chichen Itza, are remnants of cities that were abandoned long before Columbus reached the area; yet this culture has influenced many areas of architecture, art, and astronomy, that live on even in our modern world. El Castillo -88.51131069712027 20.56858270227174 69022.08795038053 1.510838029611101e-011 0.7788078196480978 1 root://styleMaps#default?iconId=0x307 -88.51214568188205,20.56850099893726,28.70427663052711