The Official New 7 Wonders of Nature

     Folks, it's OFFICIAL!  After being announced last November 11, 2011 as one of the Provisional New 7 Wonders of Nature, Puerto Princesa Underground River is now confirmed and verified as one of the world's New 7 Wonders of Nature.  Yeah, a little out of my blog's theme but I remember mentioning Puerto Princesa Underground River when I wrote about Jeb's trip to Palawan last year -- and now, I just wanna share with you guys this absolutely wonderful news.

On picture:  President Benigno S. Aquino III receiving the plaque from
Dr. Bernard Weber recognizing Puerto Princesa Underground River as
one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

     The Puerto Princesa Underground River is considered to be the world's longest navigable underground river which winds through a cave before opening up to the South China Sea.  And yesterday, April 21, 2011, this amazing work of nature was inaugurated as one of the world's New 7 Wonders of Nature (N7WN) at the One Esplanade, Open Grounds, Pasay City with the presence of the N7WN President and Founder Dr. Bernard Weber and the President of the Philippines Benigno Simeon Aquino III.  Also present during the inauguration was Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn, Task Force PPUR Chairman and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. and Manila City Mayor Alfredo Lim, among others.

     Here's the video of President Aquino's speech during the inauguration:

     According to the president: "This honor reminds us of how truly blessed our country is -- and of how it is our task as Filipinos not to take these blessings for granted.  We have to act as responsible stewards.  And this means valuing our natural resources, and ensuring the environmental sustainability of all our development efforts."

     The verified members of the NEW 7 WONDERS OF NATURE are:

The Amazon from South America

     The Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia, the Amazon jungle or the Amazon Basin is located within the nine nations of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela -- and encompasses seven million km² (1.7 billion acres) while the forest itself occupies some 5.5 million km² (1.4 billion acres).  The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforests in the world.  The Amazon River is also the largest river in the world by volume with a total flow greater than the top ten rivers in the world combined.  The river accounts for approximately one-fifth of the total world river flow and has the biggest drainage basin in the planet.  One other interesting fact:  not one bridge crosses the Amazon.

Halong Bay of Vietnam

     Halong Bay is located in Quáng Ninh province, Vietnam.  It features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes.  The bay has a 120-km long coastline and is approximately 1,553 km² in size containng 1,969 islets.  Many of its islands are found to be hollow with enormous caves in them, while other islands support floating villages of fishermen who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks.  Another distinct feature of Halong Bay is the abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands, Dau Be island for instance has six enclosed lakes. 

Iguazo Falls in Argentina, Brazil

     Iguazu Falls in Iguazu River is one of the world's largest waterfalls.  It extends over 2,700 m (nearly 2 miles) in a semi-circular shape.  Of the 275 falls that collectively make up Iguazu Falls, the "Devil's Throat" is said to be the tallest which is at 80 m in height.  Iguazu Falls is on the border between the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones, and is surrounded by two National Parks (BR/ARG).  Both parks are subtropical rainforests that are host to hundreds of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna.

Jeju Island from South Kore

     Also known as Jejudo, Jeju Island is a volcanic island located 130 km from the southern coast of Korea.  Both the largest island and the smallest province in Korea, Jejudo has a surface area of 1,846 km².  The island's main feature is Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano which rises 1,950 m above sea level.  Amazingly, 360 satellite volcanoes surrounds the main volcano.

Komodo from Indonesia

     Indonesia’s Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as other smaller ones, comprising a total area of 1,817 km² (603 km² of it is land).  The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon which later was also dedicated to protecting other species, including marine animals.  The islands of this national park are of volcanic origin.

Puerto Princesa Underground River from the Philippines

     The Puerto Princesa Underground River, reputed to be the world's longest underground river, is located about 50 km north of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, Philippines.  It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km navigable underground river.  The river winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea.  It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers.  The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences.  At the mouth of the cave, a lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge.  Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

Table Mountain of South Africa

     Table Mountain is a South African icon and the only natural site on the planet to have a constellation of stars named after it - Mensa, meaning “the table.”  The flat-topped mountain has withstood six million years of erosion and is home to the richest, yet smallest floral kingdom on earth with over 1,470 floral species.  Table Mountain is also a sanctuary for various rare and endangered species.  It is the most recognized site in Cape Town, the gateway to Africa, because of its unique flat-topped peaks which reaches 1,086 m above sea level.

     Nature's beauty and grace is truly beyond words to describe.  Congratulations to the Official New 7 Wonders of Nature and the countries where they're from.  We are all tremendously fortunate to have been blessed with the opportunity and the privilege to enjoy and experience all these amazing wonders of nature.  As such, the calling is upon all of us to be responsible stewards of all these beauty so that the future may enjoy and experience them too.  It is our duty therefore, to take care of these blessings, protect and preserve them for the many more generations who will inherit the earth.

     Thank you guys for dropping by.  See you on my next post!

*Photo during the inauguration was taken from P-Noy's facebook page.
*Photos and descriptions of the New 7 Wonders of Nature were taken from N7WN's website.
*Video of P-Noy's speech taken from YouTube
tags: the official list of the new seven wonders of nature, the official new 7 wonders of nature