The New Seven Wonders Project, established to conserve architectural monuments around the world, is proving to be a contest of national pride. The original aim of the New Seven Wonders project (http://www.new7wonders.com) was to promote conservation and recognition of existing architectural monuments. The Project, which was originally sponsored by UNESCO, is now proving to be a partisan contest with citizens of some countries striving to promote the monuments in their own countries.

Bernard Weber, a Swiss filmmaker, dreamed up the idea driven by his own personal interest in architecture. He asked the public to vote on 17 nominations selected with the help of UNESCO, but now people from around the world are casting votes based not on merit but on national pride.

The standings as of June 17, with 13,195,063 votes cast since September 1999:

1. Great Wall of China: 10.92%
2. Potala Palace, Lhasa: 7.99%
3. Colosseum of Rome: 7.35%
4. Chichen Itza, Mexico: 6.71%
5. Taj Mahal, Agra, India: 6.35%
6. Easter Island, Chile: 6.34%
7. Tower of Pisa: 6.06%

To read the entire story or to get a list of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, visit the website.