For centuries, some structures have been touted as the Seven Wonders of the World, but there are many others wonders that we are just uncovering or that make us wonder how humans ever contrived or constructed these amazing buildings, streets or entire cities.
The Other Seven Wonders of the World
Meteora
Meteora
Source – 14295108@N08
The second most important Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece is also one of the most intriguing sites in the world. The six monasteries that make up Meteora are located on top of giant natural sandstone pillars. Visitors to the monasteries find the buildings and pillars at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly. While the buildings are impressive, there is little in the way of civilization nearby. Visitors to Meteora seek out the impressive display of architecture and marvel at how well the buildings fit their translated name of, “suspended in air.”
Bay of Cambay, India
Bay of Cambay - India
Source – mckaysavage
If you visit the Bay of Cambay in India, you’ll not find a towering monument or a national artifact stretching miles into the distance. The peaceful waters of the bay hold a secret that was only recent discovered. Under the waters of the Bay of Cambay, an entire civilization has been discovered. The vast city that is found on the ocean floor dates back 9,500 years and contains a great deal of intact architecture as well as ample human remains.
The discovery of Dwarka, or the Golden City, predates all other cities or civilizations in the area by more than 5,000 years. Not only is the city fascinating as researchers uncover more clues about our past, but the city submerged under the Bay of Cambay is making scientists reevaluate the thinking about our collective history.
Lombard Street in San Francisco, United States
Lombard Street in San Francisco - United States
Source – sfgamchick
Seemingly insignificant when compared to hulking monoliths that stretch across countries, Lombard Street in San Francisco has gained popularity the world over for it’s intriguing design and confusing angles. In fact, the whole street is constructed of angles with a series of eight switchbacks or turns on a very steep angle. The curvy road is now considered the world’s most “crooked” paved road thanks to the steep turns through a major city. Races of all kinds are common down the winding curves of the street as well throughout the year.
Banaue Rice Terraces
Banaue Rice Terraces
Source – kwloo
For more than 2,000 years, the ancient people of the Philippines have worked in the rice terraces carved into the sides of the mountains of Ifugao. The ancestors of the Philippines created the terraces by hand across the sides of the mountain using very little in the way of tools. The terraces rise up to 5,000 feet about sea level and cover almost 4,000 square miles of the mountain.
An ancient irrigation system streams water from the rainforests above the terrances flooding the fields and sustaining the agriculture of the region. The terraces were started as many as 6,000 years ago and farmers today still use the steps to grow vegetables and rice, while the industry overall is declining. The Banaue terraces need constant reconstruction and care, making them a high maintenance, if amazing way of farming.
Sigiriya
Sigiriya
Source – josephferris76
One of many amazing sights in Sri Lanka, Sigiriya, or Lion’s rock, is an ancient fortress and palace sitting in the middle of Sri Lanka. The ruins of the ancient palace are surrounded by an impressive network of gardens and reservoirs as well as other structures dating back thousands of years. Sigiriya is sought out not just for the impressive size and unusual scope of the building it contained, but also for the impressive paintings that were left behind inside the palace walls.
Sigiriya was used as housing dating back to prehistoric times. It gradually became a monastery from the 5th century BC before it was carved into a palace around 477 AD. The king lived in the unusual palace for several decades and upon his death, the structure once again became a monastery. The rock palace was abandoned in the 14th century, and today the ruins of the once great – if highly unusual – palace are sought out by curious visitors.
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
Source – salim
One of the most iconic images of San Francisco and America’s west coast, the Golden Gate Bridge is an engineering marvel. Two towers reach up 746 feet and then two massive cables suspend the giant bridge using 80,000 miles of wire reaching a diameter of 3 feet across. The amount of cables used in this iconic suspension bridge is enough to span the Earth three times. The Golden Gate Bridge was the first of its kind and was once the largest and the longest suspension bridge in the modern world. It is a feat of engineering with crews working at incredible heights in the cold wind for four years to see the bridge completed. In the 66 years since the bridge was created, it has been closed only three times for no longer than four hours at a stretch despite numerous storms and earthquakes in the area.
Panama Canal
Panama Canal
Source – dsasso
48 miles of international waterway crosses Panama allowing ships to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific and avoid about 8,000 additional miles of travel. The Panama Canal took ten years to build, with construction spanning from1904 to 1914. Today, ship traffic continues to increase through the Panama Canal and an entire class of ship has been developed called the “Panamax” which have the exact dimensions to make it through the series of locks that create the canal. In 2007, a $5.2 billion project was started to expand the Panama Canal as there is almost always a traffic jam at the Canal as ships wait their turn to make it through the locks.
From ancient submerged cities to impressive feats of modern architecture, there is much to discover in the world outside of the first Seven Wonders. While these new seven may top the list of interesting locations and creations across the globe, there are many more treasures to be found. A world full of wonders surrounds us.
