A World Full Of
WONDER A Childrens Guide To The Natural And Man Made Wonders Of The World
Chris White
Table Of Contents Ancient Wonders 6. 8. 10. 12. 14. 16. 18.
Pyramid of Giza Hanging Gardens Statue of Zeus Temple of Artemis The Mausoleum Colossus of Rhodes Pharos at Alexandria
New(ish) Wonders 20. 22. 24. 26. 28. 30. 32.
Chichen, Itza Christ Redeemer The Great Wall Machu Picchu Petra, Jordan The Roman Colloseum Taj Mahal
Natural Wonders 34. 36. 38. 40. 42. 48. 50.
Northern Lights Guanabara bay Grand Canyon Great Barrier Reef Mount Everest Paricutin Victoria Falls
A World Full Of
WONDER A Childrens Guide To The Natural And Man Made Wonder s Of The World
Written & Illustrated by Chris White
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Ancient W Once defined as thermata, or “things to be seen�, the seven ancient wonders of the world are archetectual marvels to this day. Compiled from the writings of several scholars and writers of the past, we are able to get a glimps of these works of art even though all but one are in ruin.
1 Pyramid of Giza 2 Hanging Gardens 3 Statue of Zeus 4 Temple of Artemis 5 The Mausoleum 6 Colossus of Rhodes 7 Pharos at Alexandria The Ancient Wonders of the world were compliled by a Greek native Antiper of Sidon.
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Being the oldest in addition only one of the seven ancient wonders to still be standing, it is the oldest of the wonders. Completed around 2560 BC , and taking nearly twenty years to complete, it is a testimony to the Egyptian Old Kingdom (26492150BC). Located in Giza, Egypt and standing at a height of 455 feet, it is estimated that that 5.5 million tons of limestone, 8,000 tons of granite, and 500,000 tons of mortar were used to complete the structure.
Located in Olympia, Greece, the temple of Zues housed the giant statue depicting the Greek god. Despite being a magnificent sight on its own, the temple that housed the statue was primarily built to protect and preserve the statue of Zues. Finished in 432 BC, the statue stood at 40 feet tall and was made of precious materials like Ivory, marble, and gold plate. Representing the height of Classical design, the statue stood for nearly 800 years until it was destroyed 475 AD.
3 Built in 600 BC and located in Babylon, the Hanging Gardens is the only one of the seven wonders that we don’t have an exact location for. Despite its name, the Hanging Gardens were not actually suspended in the air but were made up of rooftop garden terraces. Each terrace was supported by rows of columns filled with dirt to allow plant and trees to grow up them. With time this would provide the illusion of a garden being suspended in the air.
Wonders 4 Located in Ephesus, modern day Turkey, the exterior of the Temple was primarily crafted out of marble, while the intirior was decorated with gold, and silver. Standing at 180 feet tall and supported by 127 Columns, the temples structure featured several types of relief sculptures, paintings, and a statue of the Greek goddess, Artymis. In her honour, the temple was also known as the Atemesium and belonged to the classical Ionic order of Greek Architecture.
5 Completed in 350 BC, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was located in what is now current day Turkey. It stood at a height of 140 feet and was built almost entirely of white marble. The structure was decoratated with a variety of sculptures and columns. Despite it being the one of the only Ancient Wonders of the World that in which there is no physical evidence left, most of what we know about the structure is due to ancient accounts and writings.
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Standing at 160 feet tall and located on the island of Rhodes, Greece, the towering statue took a total of twelve years to complete. Estimated at a total weight of the statue would have been at least 225 tons. Although it was completed in 280 BC, the statue only stood 54 years, making the shortest lived wonder of the world to stand fully intact. However, for the next century, the remains would lay in ruin across the city untouched for all to see.
Located in Alexandria, Egypt, and completed approxomitley in 270 BC, taking twenty years to complete, the Pharos, or lighthouse, at Alexandria stood for 1500 years, making it one of the longest standing ancient wonders of the world. Built with three different levels, each with reinforced walls, the lighthouse could resist the elements with relative ease. However, its fate was sealed in 1303 AD when the lighthouse was eventually destroyed by an Earthquake.
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Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza was designed by Heminu, a Vizer, or high ranking official to the pharaoh, as a burial place for Pharaoh Khufu. Two smaller pyramids built by later pharaohs were added at a later date to the necropolis. The second being built by Pharaoh Khafre in 2520 BC and the third by Pharaoh Mankaure in 2490 BC. In addition, several temples and the Great Sphinx are located on the pyramids grounds.
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Statue of Zeus The Greek sculptor Pheidias was selected to construct the magnificent statue of Zeus. The success of the statue is largely dependent on a technique that he developed to support large amount of weight. Kings and emperors envied its beauty and tried several of times to take the statue for themselves. Unfortunately, it was eventually moved to the palace at Constantinople where it was later destroyed in a fire.
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Hanging Gardens Built by King Nebuchadnezzar ll for his wife Amytis to remind her of her lush homeland, the hanging Gardens of Babylon would have been an engineering feat to this day. It is estimated that to keep the gardens running properly, it would have taken around 8,200 gallons of water a day. Because rain is uncommon in Babylon, the gardens would have needed to have a sophisticated irrigation system to allow all the plants to be watered properly.
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Temple of Artemis Commissioned by King Croesus of Lydia, the temple was designed by Chrisiphron and was dedicated to the Greek goddess of the moon and Hunt, Artymis . The temple was eventually set on fire, rebuilt, and then destroyed by invading Goths in 262 AD.
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The Mausoleum Built by Artmeisia as a tribute to her husband Maussollos, King of Caria after his death, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was placed on a hill that looked over the city. It was adorned with relief sculptures depicting historical battles and surrounded by a courtyard with stone warriors located at each corner of the structure. After being damaged in an earthquake, the remains were recycled by the crusaders in 1494 AD to fortify the city.
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Colossus of Rhodes Depicting the Islands Patron god, Helios, the massive statue both welcomed and warned those who entered the islands harbor. Using recycled bronze that was melted down from abandoned weapons and other raw material, Chares of Lindos, and his team of men were commissioned to cast the statue to commemorate Rhodes victory in battle. Despite its size and the time it took to construct, it spent most of its time in ruins after an earthquake hit the island.
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Pharos at Alexandria Built during the reign of Ptolemy Soter following the death of Alexander the great, the Pharos at Alexandria was built to guide ships safely through the harbors of the City. Located on a small island at the entrance of the harbor, the structure’s walls were reinforced with lead to protect it from the violent waves. During the day, a mirror was used to reflect the light of the sun and at night, a fire was would be lit to ensure the safety of nearby sailors.
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New(ish) Despite being considered the new wonders of the world, they are anything but new. These tried and true monuments to humanity range from 1200 BC to 1931 AD and unlike the seven Ancient wonders of the world, are still standing to this day allowing the world a glimps into the past.
1 Chichen Itza 2 Christ Redeemer 3 The Great Wall 4 Machu Picchu 5 Petra, Jordan 6 Roman Colloseum 7 Taj Mahal The New(ish) wonders of the world were compiled by the New 7 wonders foundation.
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Translating to “at the mouth of the well of Itza, this ancient city located in Yucatan, Mexico is suspected to have been built around 600 AD. All though the city as a whole is considered the wonder of the world, the most important and iconic structure remaining is Temple of Quetzalcoatl. the temple stands at a height of 98 feet with a 181 foot base and is built primarily of limestone. The temple held special meaning during the spring and summer equinox.
Located on top of Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Christ Redeemer is one of the only wonders to share its location with another wonder. With input from the four different nationalities, the statue was ompleted in 1931, the statue stands at a height of 125 feet tall and weighs nearly 700 tons. It is crafted from soapstone and reinforced concrete and is also the most recent monument to be given the title of Wonder of the World.
Spanning nearly 13,171 miles across China, the great wall is considered the longest man made structure to ever be built. The wall itself is built of several different types of materials, but is primarily created from wood, granite, limestone, and shale. Although the size of the wall is impressive to any standard, the myth regarding that the Great Wall can be seen from the moon has been proven false. However, if condiditons are right, it can be seen during a low orbit.
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Hidden deep in the mountains surrounding Cuzco, Peru, Machu Picchu is believed to have been built around 1450 by the Incan emprie. Consisting of three main religious structures, and a total of 150 daily structures, such as homes, and farming areas, it was primarily constructed using a polished dry stone local to the area. Translated to “Old Peak” the settlement sits at an elevation of 7,972 feet and wasn’t discovered by modern day archaeologists until 1911.
Hidden away in the sandstone cliffs of Jordan, the ruins at Petra were built in 1200 BC. However, for the next thousand years the ruins laid untouched by western civilization until its discovery in 1812. On top of being magnificently carved directly out of the sandstone cliffs, in the middle of a desert, Petra required a sophisticated way to gather, move, and preserve water. The ancient civilizations ability to do so allowed the city to thrive in ancient times.
Commissioned during the Flavian Dynasty in 70 AD, the Roman Colosseum entertained citizens in Rome Italy. Standing at 157 feet tall and being able to fit more than 50,000 people at a time, the Colosseum was constructed out of limestone and cement. In addition, columns of both Greek and Roman orders both decorated and supported the missive structure. Despite its size, it is estimated that it only took approximately seven years to finish this iconic wonder.
Located in Agra, India, the Taj Mahal was completed in 1648 and is considered one of the most beautiful buildings to ever be constructed. As a testament to Islamic architecture the Taj Mahal displayed a perfectly symmetrical plan including four towers. The building stands at a height of 240 feet and is crafted primarily out of white marble. In total, the construction of the Taj mahal took approximately twenty two years to complete, costing nearly 32 million rupees.
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Chichen Itza Dedicated to the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, the Mayans designed the temple to interact with the Spring and Fall equinox. On each equinox, a shadow falls upon the temples staircase creating a snake like shadow descending the staircase eventually meeting the stone snake heads at the bottom of the stairs.
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Christ Redeemer Although it was designed by Polish-French artist Paul Landowski, and Romanian Artist Gheorghe Leonida, the actual execution of the piece was placed in the hands of Brazilian native Heitor Da Silva Costa and Abert Caquote a French engineer. In comparison, the statue is roughly two thirds the size of the statue of Liberty.
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The Great Wall Although it is often considered a single structure, the Great Wall is actually a series of walls and fortifications connected to each other. Even though much of the wall built and refortified during different dynasties, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) is considered to be the most rucial to the success of the wall, and much of what we see today it due to that particular dynasty.
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Machu Picchu Built by the Incan Empire, the city of Machu Picchu had many different functions. From Farming, to religious practices, and even to a separation of classes among the people, a wide variety of activities took place, allowing us to get a glimps into the social structure of the Incan People.. However, 100 years after its completion, the site was abandoned by the Incan people. To this day, it remains a mystery as to why this happened.
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Petra, Jordan Once known as the city of Raqmu, Petra thrived economically for nearly Five hundred years from 400 BC to 106 AD. The name was originally changed to Petra when the city fell to the Roman Empire. It continued to be passed around to several different groups in the area until it eventually was abandoned until 1812.
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The Roman Colosseum Deriving its name from the colossal statue of Neo that stood just outside of the Colosseum Grounds, the original name of this wonder was Amphitheatrum Flavium. When it first opened, the Emperor ordered that a 100 consecutive days of games be played to celebrate the completion of the monument.
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Taj Mahal Dedicated to Mumtaz Mahal after her death by Shah Jahan as a final resting place for his beloved wife, the Taj Mahal serves as a monument of love. With her name translating to “Jewel of the Palace�, it is only fitting that the building is the known as the Jewel of India.
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Natural The world is truly filled with wonder, and there are no better examples than the Seven Natural Wonders of the world to prove it. These monuments forged by nature, show the diverse landscapes that this world has to offer and display some of the most spectacular sights to be seen.
1 Northern Lights 2 Guanabara bay 3 Grand Canyon 4 Great Barrier Reef 5 Mount Everest 6 Paricutin 7 Victoria Falls The Natural Wonders were complied by the Seven Natural Wonders Oraganization.
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Scientifically known as aurora borealis and more commonly known as the Northern Lights, this natural phenomenon is caused by solar winds interacting with the earth’s magnetic field. Occurring from 50 to 400 miles about the earth’s surface, the best places to view the lights are in Alaska, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. In addition, a common phenomenon known as aurora Australis occurs in the south. Colors and intensity varry depending on the solar winds
Sharing the same location with another wonder of the world, Christ Redeemer, this natural harbor is the largest in the world. The harbor itself is 20 miles in to the main land and was dubbed “January River” due to the date when it was discovered. In total, the harbor can hold 49,470,899 cubic gallons of water at any time. The surrounding mountains provide excellent views that allow viewers to truly appreciate the massive harbor that would otherwise be unnoticed.
Now a National Park, the Grand Canyon was created by millions of years of natural erosion. Once the bottom of a sea, the canyon was eventually carved out by the Colorado River. The canyon itself spans over 277 miles and has an average depth of 6,093 feet while its width varies from 4 to 18 miles. Besides the massive scale of the canyon, the erosion caused by the Colorado River exposed numerous layers or rock displaying various colors that add to the Grand Canyons beauty.
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Consisting of 2,900 individual reefs and hundreds of islands, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef community in the world. Located of the coast of Australia, the reef covers over 1,400 miles long. Several species of fish, turtles, dolphins, snakes and birds live or use the reef as a breeding ground. Considering that coral reef has been around for millions of years, the Great Barrier reef is relatively young at 500,000 years old.
Known to the locals as “Holy Mountain” and “Mother of the Universe”, Mount Everest is located within the Himalayan mountain range of Nepal. Reaching elevations of 29,029 feet, it is highest mountain above sea level in the world. However, parts of the mountain sat below sea level nearly 500 million years ago. Everest continues to grow at a rate of 4mm per year due to the convergence of tectonic plates located beneath the earths surface.
Standing at a height of 9,200 ft, Paricutin is a Cinder Cone Volcano that started to erupt in 1941. For the next 11 years, it would continue to show activity allowing scientist for the first time to study the full Lifecyle of a volcano. Located just outside of Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro in Mexico, Paricutin is dormant, allowing those that hike the volcano and witness the imense destructive power that it once wreaked upon the surrounding city and ountryside
At 360 feet tall and 5,604 feet long, Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world. Known to the locals as the “Smoke that thunders” the mist formed from the waterfall can be seen from over 30 miles away. Shared by both Zambia and Zimbabwe, Africa, Victoria falls is the result of erosion caused by the Zambesi River. Depending on the wet and dry seasons, the falls physical characteristics can dramatically change several times throughout the year.
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Northern Lights Deriving its name from the Roman god of dawn, Aurora, and Boreas, the Greek word for northern winds, Aurora Borealis displays itself in a variety of colors. Green being the most common, pink, red, yellow, blue, and violate have also been seen on occasion.
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Guanabara Bay Also known as the harbor of Rio de Janeiro stems from the Atlantic Ocean. The city surrounding the harbor is separated into three different segments, each with its unique view of the harbor.
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Grand Canyon With over 42 designated trails, the Grand Canyon offers a variety of different views. From the Havasupai, Haulapai, Navajo, and Hopi Indians, the canyon has a deep connection Native American Cultures.
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Great Barrier Reef Due to a variety of factors and water heating to intolerable levels, coral in the reef are currently undergoing a process called bleaching, killing much of the coral in the area. Scientists and locals are working together to preserve reef ensuring that it will be around for years to come.
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Mount Everest Although it was given its English name in 1865, Mount Everest wouldn’t be summited until 1953. Sir Edmund Percival Hillary from New Zealand, and sherpa Tenzing Norgay braved the mountain leaving both a peice of chocolate and a small cross as an offering of gratitude on the peak of the mountain.
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Paricutin Discovered by a farmer in his corn field, the volcanic mound grew 164 feet in the first day and continued to grow when it began to release molten lava just five days later. Over the next eleven years and after destroying two cities, the Volcano stopped expanding and went dormant.
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Victoria Falls Named after Queen Victoria of England by the Scotsman David Livingstone, Victoria falls is the result of over 100,00 years of erosion. The waterfall provides water to over six different gorges and is now part of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.
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