CAIRO: The New Seven Wonders foundation launched a new contest so the world can choose the seven wonders of nature, the foundation announced on its Web site, and Egypt's Mount Sinai is one of the nominees. The competition is the first of its kind to focus on the world's natural wonders with the aim of promoting them globally. It comes just months following the success of the New Seven Wonders competition, which ended last July with the selection of the world's new seven wonders. We are finding the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign to be excitingly different from the first one, Bernard Weber, founder and president of the foundation, said in a statement. So many breathtakingly beautiful [sites], from waterfalls to fjords, rainforests to mountain peaks, freshwater lakes to salt flats, are still quite unknown to many. We are discovering together the incredible beauty and variety of our planet, he added. Some 200 natural places have been nominated so far including Mount Sinai and the White Nile in both Egypt and Sudan. Other nominees from Africa include the Iszue Lake in Tunisia, Erg Chebbi Dunes in Morocco, Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Kruger Park in South Africa and Mount of Kiliminjaro in Tanzania. From the Arab region come Jordan's Wadi Rum and Yemen's Socotra Archipelago. Sierra Nevada in Spain, the Vesuvius Volcano in Italy and the Dover Cliffs in England were the most conspicuous among European nominations, whereas Niagara Falls in the US and Canada is the only well-known North American site among several others nominated. The list of South America is replete with mountains, lakes and national parks that only the South American natives as well as experts and travelers are familiar with. Interested groups are encouraged to log on to www.newsevenwonders.com and nominate any worthy natural sites. Each user can nominate up to seven places until the end of December 2008. Then, 21 natural wonders will be short-listed by a panel of experts. Voters worldwide will be allowed to choose their favorite sites throughout 2009 and finalists will be announced the following year.
