2. PETRA (Jordania)

Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourism attraction.It lies on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

The site suffers from a host of threats, including collapse of ancient structures, erosion due to flooding and improper rainwater drainage, weathering from salt upwelling, improper restoration of ancient structures, and unsustainable tourism.

In an attempt to reduce the impact of the prior mentioned threats, Petra National Trust (PNT) was established in 1989. Over this time, it has worked together with numerous local and international organizations on projects that promote the protection, conservation and preservation of the Petra site.

1. GREAT WALL OF CHINA (China)

The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups. The most comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km. Transporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources.

Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains. Unlike the earlier Qin fortifications, the Ming construction was stronger and more elaborate due to the use of bricks and stone instead of rammed earth. As Mongol raids continued periodically over the years, the Ming devoted considerable resources to repair and reinforce the walls.It is estimated that over 1 million workers died building the wall.

In October 2003, Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei stated that he had not been able to see the Great Wall of China. In response, the European Space Agency (ESA) issued a press release reporting that from an orbit between 160 and 320 km, the Great Wall is visible to the naked eye, and published a picture of a part of the “Great Wall” photographed from Space. However, in a press release a week later (no longer available in the ESA’s website), they acknowledged that the "Great Wall" in the picture was actually a river.

INTRODUCTION

New Seven Wonders of the World was a project that attempted to update the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World concept with a modern list of wonders. A popularity poll was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the Swiss based, government and controlled by New7Wonders Foundation, the winner were announced on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon.
The New7Wonders Foundation claimed that more than 100 million votes were cast through the Internet or by telephone. Nothing prevented multiple votes, so the poll was considered "decidedly unscientific".According to John Zogby, founder and current President/CEO of the Utica, New York-based polling organization Zogby International, New7Wonders Foundation drove “the largest poll on record”.
The program drew a wide range of official reaction. Some countries touted their finalist and tried to get more votes cast for it, while others downplayed or criticized the contest. After supporting the New7Wonders Foundation at the beginning of the campaign, by providing advice on nominee selection, The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) distanced itself from the undertaking in 2007.
The New7Wonders Foundation, established in 2001, relied on private donations and the sale of broadcast rights and received no public funding or taxpayers' money.After the final announcement, New7Wonders said it didn't earn anything from the exercise and barely recovered its investment.

FIRST REPORT

PROJECT NAME: The Top 10 Wonders of the Modern World
This blog publishing information about the election process of the current wonders of the modern world and according to the number of votes received at the time of the election, will discuss the top 10. In each week will discuss each of them through the presentation of photographs, videos, trivia, etc.

CONTENTS:

1. Brief review of the election process

2. The Great Wall of China (China)
3. Petra (Jordan)
4. Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
5. Machu Picchu (Peru)
6. Chichen Itza (Mexico)
7. The Colosseum in Rome (Italy)
8. The Taj Mahal (India)
9. Alhambra Palace (Spain)
10. The moais of Pascua Island (Chile)

FINAL PRESENTATION
In the final presentation we will dramatize the query from a couple (Cristian y Ana),  to a tourism consultant (Carolina) , who are interested in traveling to a particular place. The viewers should be aware of the dialogue and according to it, identify which is the place that is being discussed.