Table Mountain shortlisted for New7Wonders of Nature

It’s up to you to vote for Table Mountain as one of the New7Wonders of Nature

Ask any Capetonian and they’ll tell you that their lives revolve around the mountain. Fitness fanatics run up and down Table Mountain, nature-lovers hike across its slopes and the rest, well, they sit on their balconies staring at the shadows as clouds roll over the flat peaks – a fitting table cloth.

A star constellation and a floral kingdom:

Perhaps living at the foot of a spectacular natural icon creates a kind of ownership in its people. Or maybe it’s the fact that Table Mountain is the most recognised symbol of a city that counts amongst the most beautiful in the world. Table Mountain is the only natural site in the world with stars named after it. The constellation is called Mensa, meaning ‘the table’ in Latin.

Now this flat topped mountain has also made it on to the final shortlist for the New7Wonders of Nature initiative. It’s fair to say that nothing made by humans can compare with the wonders of nature. Table Mountain reaches 1086 metres above sea level, withstood six million years of erosion and hosts the world’s smallest but richest floral kingdom with over 1470 floral species.

The New7Wonders of the Cultural World:

The New7Wonders of Nature campaign took off right after the official New7Wonders of the World was announced in Lisbon on 7 July 2007. These are The Great Wall of China, Chichén Itzá, the Statue of Christ Redeemer, the Colosseum, the ancient city of Petra, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal.

New7Wonders founder Bernard Weber says that the aim of the New7Wonders of Nature campaign is “to bring our natural heritage to the same level of appreciation as that given to our cultural world”.

Hundreds of spectacular natural icons from 222 countries were nominated. Table Mountain fell within the top 77 and then also made the final shortlist of 28 finalists as announced on 21 July 2009.

Public voting will continue until the Official Declaration event on 11 November 2011.

How to vote for Table Mountain:

All you need to do to vote for Table Mountain as one of the New7Wonders of Nature is visit www.new7wonders.com and submit your top seven choices.