The 21 finalists

Click on the links to read Times and Sunday Times travel guides to each destination.

1 Acropolis (Athens, Greece)
2 Alhambra (Granada, Spain)
3 Angkor (Cambodia)
4 Chichen Itza (Yucatan, Mexico)
5 Christ Redeemer (Rio de Janiero)
6 Colosseum (Rome)
7 Easter Island Statues (Chile)
8 Eiffel Tower (Paris)
9 Great Wall (China)
10 Hagia Sophia (Istanbul)
11 Kiyomizu Temple (Kyoto, Japan)
12 Kremlin/St Basil (Moscow)
13 Machu Picchu (Peru)
14 Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany)
15 Petra (Jordan)
16 Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
17 Statue of Liberty (New York)
18 Stonehenge (England)
19 Sydney Opera House (Australia)
20 Taj Mahal (Agra, India)
21 Timbuktu (Mali)

The contest has generated enthusiasm in countries such as India and Brazil, which are keen for the Taj Mahal and Rio’s statue of Christ to be included. But, with only four days yet to run, it has left some of the developed world cold. Stonehenge and Sydney Opera House may fail to make the list because of British and Australian apathy.

Bernard Weber, a Swiss-Canadian film-maker and aviator, came up with the idea of www.new7wonders.com to reflect the architecture of the modern world.

The original Seven Wonders were chosen by Antipater of Sidon, who drew on the authority of such learned travellers as Herodotus and Callimachus. The list included the Colossus of Rhodes and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and were found only around the Mediterranean, the limits of the Western world.

Four Wonders were destroyed in earthquakes and two in fires. Few can list them today. To find their modern successors, 21 finalists were drawn up from submissions.

There have been more than 70 million votes so far. The winning list will be revealed on Saturday. Some critics contend that the winners will be based on nationalism rather than architectural or historical merit.

A current shoo-in is the Taj Mahal, thanks to a national campaign in India. Petra in Jordan has soared up the list after a campaign led by the Jordanian Royal Family; and Rio’s statue of Christ the Redeemer received official endorsement from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Peruvian Government encouraged votes for the ruined Inca city of Machu Picchu by setting up free internet terminals. Co-ca-Cola cans in Mexico are carrying adverts calling on people to vote for the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza.

The Great Wall of China, which was excluded from the original Seven Wonders because it was unknown to the Ancient Greeks, may fail a second time because of Chinese apathy.

The results will be announced in Lisbon on Saturday July 7. The ranking of the top seven wonders is to be kept secret.