7 wonders of the world everyone should see in their lifetime

While some of the truly breath-taking sights are nature's gifts, others are man-made monuments that have fascinated man-kind across several centuries.

The New 7 Wonders of the World are a group of some of the world's oldest monuments around the world.

The monuments were chosen from a selection of 200 other existing monuments in a poll led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organised by the New7Wonders Foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland.

The winners were announced on 7th July 2007 in Lisbon and the New7Wonders Foundation claimed that over 100 million votes were cast through the Internet or by telephone.

Given their historical and cultural relevance, these monuments attract millions of tourists from around the world.

Here are 7 wonders of the world everyone should see in their lifetime.

1. Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt: The world's oldest man-made and only surviving monument from the original 7 wonders of the world, the Great Pyramid was constructed in 2560 BC and stands at 481 feet. Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built as a tomb over a 10 to 20-year period concluding around 2560 BC.

2. Great Wall of China, China: The Great Walls are a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against raids and invasions. The first walls were being built as early as the 7th century BCE. The walls have mostly been rebuilt and maintained through the years and an archaeological study found the entire wall to measure 21,196 km.

3. Petra, Jordan: This is a historical and archaeological city in Ma'an, Jordan that is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. It is believed to have been established as early as 312 BC.

4. The Colosseum, Italy: This is an oval amphitheatre in Rome that's described as the largest amphitheatre ever built. It was built with concrete and sand. Construction is believed to have began in 72AD and completed in 80 AD.

5. Chichen Itza, Mexico: This was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. It attracts an estimated 1.4 million tourists.

6. Macchu Picchu, Peru: This is a 15th century site located 7,970 ft above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley.

7. Taj Mahal, India: This is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. Commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, it includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens.