THE SEVEN WONDERS

Maybe it simply feeds modern society's obsession with lists and rankings, but more than 2,000 years after ancient Greeks identified the Seven Wonders of the World, millions of people around the globe are casting Internet ballots to update the list.

Whether motivated by nationalism, conservation, curiosity or sheer boredom, more than 4 million Chinese, Indians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Americans and others have cast 28 million votes, organizers say. They have generated 21 wonder finalists, including the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Acropolis in Athens, Jordan's ancient city of Petra and the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Of the Seven Wonders of the World compiled by Greeks more than 2,000 years ago, the only one still in existence is the pyramids of Giza, Egypt.


The Classic List

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:
· Pyramids at Giza
· Colossus of Rhodes
· Hanging Gardens of Babylon
· Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria
· Statue of Zeus at Olympia
· Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
· Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

-- Maybe it simply feeds modern society's obsession with lists and rankings, but more than 2,000 years after ancient Greeks identified the Seven Wonders of the World, millions of people around the globe are casting Internet ballots to update the list.'

Who's Blogging?

Also in the running are Britain's Stonehenge and the statues of Easter Island in Chile. A few finalists -- notably the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Sydney Opera House -- have left experts and neophytes alike wondering.