The Dead Sea’s inclusion in the final 28 candidates for the New 7 Natural Wonders (a website where the people of the world get to decide which are the world’s top natural wonders) has pushed it back into the consciousness of many, though perhaps more the locals rather than the tourists who’ve always been mesmerized by its natural charms. And mud.
The Dead Sea, despite its amazing natural beauty and fame as the lowest place on Earth, is unfortunately taken for granted by many – not least those polluting and exploiting its feeder rivers. It’s hoped that the Dead Sea’s inclusion as one of the 7 Natural Wonders (voting wraps up in 2011) will sway the powers-that-be that things need to change before the Dead Sea is irreversibly damaged.
And contrary to what some local news sites are reporting, the Dead Sea hasn’t made it to the final 14. The final 28 candidates are split into two groups, a top 14 and a bottom 14 – and the Dead Sea currently lies in that top half. Its competitors look like being the Amazon, the Galapagos, the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, Halong Bay, and the Maldives, among others, though as voting is top secret it’s impossible to know where exactly any candidate lies in the top 14 (or bottom 14). For a weekly update check out the weekly rankings.
The New 7 Wonders of Nature contest has the great slogan If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it. Just to give you an indication of its scale, in 2007 voting for the Seven Wonders of the World (man made) was held: some 100 million people voted for the Seven Wonders, listed here. Petra’s inclusion as one of the Seven Wonders nearly tripled the number of tourists to Jordan (and yes, check out some of our amazing budget-friendly Petra tours), located just a few short kilometers away on the other side of the Dead Sea.
You haven’t voted yet? Go here, your vote might just save the Dead Sea!
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