Will it be the Acropolis? And Alhambra? Or Angkor? Or The Eiffel Tower? What about the Great Wall of China? Which sites will be named The New Seven Wonders of the World?

Twenty one finalists have passed the rigorous entry requisites to be classed as one of the new seven wonders of world. The Swiss organisation, New 7 Wonders Foundation is set to announce the winners, by popular demand, on July 7, 2007 (07/07/07). Voting for the winning seven monuments is open to the public until midnight 06/07/07.

The foundation was created by Swiss Bernard Weber, a great traveller who had a wish to preserve the world's most breathtaking heritage sites, and was later joined by the former director of UNESCO, Frederico Mayor Zaragoza . Their aim, they say, is documenting, maintaining, restoring and reconstructing world heritage under the motto: Our heritage is our future.

Weber, who funded the first part of the competition himself said that fifty percent of all net revenue raised by the New 7 Wonders Project is to be used to fund restoration efforts worldwide.

The twenty -one finalists left, in this now very exciting competition are:

Acropolis – Athens, Greece

The acropolis means "high city" in Greek and stands on what is known as the "sacred rock", the ancient Greeks believed that the acropolis radiated power and protection for all around.

Alhambra – Granada, Spain

The Alhambra means "red castle or fortress", due to the colour of the sotne with which it is built. It stands on a rocky hill above the city of Granada and was built by the Moors. The Alhambra is one of the world's best examples of Moorish architecture and one of Europe's most popular attractions.

Angkor – Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor is complex of temples which is spreads across 40 miles around the village of Siam Reap. The various temples were built between 8th -13th century.

Chichen Itza – Yucatan Peninsular, Mexico

In Mayan, Chi'chen Itzá means "at the mouth of the well of the Itzá (people)" This was the center of the Mayan population with its Kukulcan pyramid being the last built of all Mayan temples.

Christ Redeemer Statue – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

On the top of Corcovado Mountain, the 38 meter tall art-deco statue of Jesus Christ has stood surveying the city of Rio de Janeiro since 1931.

Colosseum – Rome, Italy

The colosseum is a prototype for nearly all-modern sports stadiums. It was used until 217 when lightening caused a fire that caused considerable damage. Later, four earthquakes damaged the building even more.

Easter Island Statues – Chile

These statues, discovered in 1722, are still a puzzle. It’s said that Polynesians arrives on the island in the 4th century and built the 25 meter high stone sculptures called “Moai”. They are thought to have been carved between 1100 – 1600.

Eiffel Tower – Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower, which is 300 meters tall, has 1665 steps and took over two years to build, was originally going to be pulled down after its 20 year permit ran out! It's now been standing, absolutely vertical for 118 years.

Great Wall – China

The Great Wall was started over 2,00 years ago, using stone, wood, grass and earth, later kilns were built to produce bricks for building use. It is the world's largest man-made monument, built to keep invaders out of China.

Hagia Sophia – Istanbul, Turkey

Built between 532-532 this was the world's largest cathedral for 1,000 years. It has a huge dome that is 33 meters in diameter and 62 meters high.

Kiyomizo - Kyoto, Japan

Among Asia’s most important cultural monuments Kiyomizo was originally a Buddhist temple, re-built in 1633. It’s named after the waterfall within the complex, kiyomizo means “clear water” in Japanese.

Kremlin/St. Brasil – Moscow, Russia

Built in 1156 for Ivan I, the Kremlin has seen various uses from King’s residence to orthodox church. St. Basil’s cathedral was built to commemorate the Mongol’s capture.

Machu Picchu – Peru

Known as the city in the clouds, Machu Piccu actually means “old mountain”, its found in the Amazon jungle, 2,350 meters above sea level. The site was rediscovered in 1911, and several theories still remain as to what it actually was.

Neuschwanstein Castle –Fussen, Germany

This is the most famous of “Mad” King Ludwig II castles, said to have been the inspiration for the turreted castle in Sleeping Beauty.

Petra Jordan – Jordan

Petra is a city carved out of rock. It's one of the earliest Middle Eastern settlements, parts of it are reported to be over 9,000 years old.

Pyramids of Giza – Egypt

The largest of the pyramids are thought to have taken over twenty years to build by the Egyptians. Over 5 million limestone blocks were used in their creation around 2500 BC.

Statue of Liberty – New York City, U.S.A

The Statue’s full title is “Liberty Enlightening the World”, it was a present from the French to the Americans. Finished in 1884, it arrived in the U.S. as 350 pieces in June 1885.

Stonehenge- Amesbury, U.K

Both the meaning and purpose of Stonehenge are still unclear. The first monument was built around 3,000 BC, and work seems to have continued until around 1600 BC, when it completely stopped.

Sydney Opera House – Australia

Opened in 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II, the opera house covers an area of 1.8 hectares. It has over 1,000 rooms and is said to use the equivalent amount power as a town of 25,000 people.

Taj Majal – Agra, India

Over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials from all over India during the fifteen years it took to construct the fairy-tale palace. It was built by the 5th Muslim Mogul Emperor in memory of his Persian Princess wife, who died during childbirth to their fourteenth child.

Timbuktu – Mali

Timbuktu was an important trade centre in the 14th century, it’s on the edge of the Sahara desert. It’s thought to have been named after the woman “Buktu” who dug the well around which the city grew.

The entry requirements say that all manmade structures built or discovered before the year 2000 are eligible for entry, and the original number of nominations was 177 sites.

These were narrowed down to 77 sites and the final 21 were named on 1st January 2006. All the monuments have been vetted and the final judging is open to members of the public. Voting may be done by phone or online.

Judging of the final 21 monuments is nearing its close, and the announcement from Lisbon, Portugal is eagerly awaited across the world.

The original wonders of the ancient world are about to be replaced by the new seven wonders of 2007. Which will they be? What will your vote be?

By visiting the official web site you can find more information on each site, vote or even buy one of the unique souvenir pins. For each of the 21 finalists, only 7,777 pins for each monument has been produced.

For more information on the monuments and to vote, go to the The New Seven Wonders