Everest is nominee for 7 wonders of nature

London, January 8: The magnanimity of Mount Everest enthralls everyone isn't it ? Now, Mount Everest has earned a nomination to be one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, according to organisers.

The highest mountain on Earth will compete with other 260 contenders short-listed from 222 countries including other famous mountain peaks, lakes and attractions such as Niagara Falls and Lake Superior between Canada and the United States.

The New Seven Wonders campaign, which had collected 441 nominations online since it began the selection process in 2007, has invited to votes to be cast until July 7, reports the Telegraph.

The Swiss-based nonprofit foundation, led by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber, placed the most voted nominations from each country, collecting a list of 222 sites. The list would further be chopped to 21 finalists in July following a selection made by a panel of experts in nature, chaired by Federico Mayor, former chief of UNESCO, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The seven front runners would then be decided by the public through Internet, telephone and text messages, in another round ending until 2011. Tia Viering, spokeswoman of the campaign, said: "We are calling on people all over the world to actively show their appreciation for our ... natural world by joining together to celebrate the most extraordinary sites on our planet."

ANI