Love it or hate it, you have to admit that Kuala Lumpur’s night view is breathtaking. In a two-year voting process that began with more than 1,200 nominees from 220 different countries, Founder-President of New7Wonders Bernard Weber officially announced the 7 cities on its website new7wonders.com on December 7, 2014, and KL is one of them.
Votes were gathered through their website, iPhone and Android apps as well as international telephone voting lines.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia made it into the New7Wonders Cities and will be inaugurated in 2015 together with the New7Wonders of Nature and New7Wonders of the World. New7Wonders Foundation is a Swiss-registered non-profit foundation that aims to document and conserve works of monument worldwide.
The cities were announced in alphabetical order, with cities from countries from all over the world. Malaysia’s other competitor in this region is Vigan, Philippines. Surprisingly, notable cities like New York and Hong Kong were not part of the list.
So if you’re up for an exciting travel experience, here are the 6 other countries that joined KL in the list.
1. Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut is the largest city of Lebanon and estimated to have a population of between 1 to 2 million. It is regarded as “The Paris of Middle East” where the tourism industry plays a vital role in the local economy. Have a look at how utterly huge this city is.
2. Doha, Qatar
Doha is the capital city of Qatar and had a population of 1.2 million in 2013. It is home to the Education City, an area devoted to research and education. The headquarters of the country’s largest oil and gas companies can be found in Doha. Their night view picture has a futuristic feel to it, doesn’t it?
3. Durban, South Africa
Durban is the busiest port in South Africa and Africa due to its warm subtropical climate and extensive beaches. This largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal was host to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. How about beaches for your year-end vacation?
4. Havana, Cuba
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial center of Cuba. It has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants and is a major tourist attraction, garnering over a million tourists annually. Old Havana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. Heritage and historical sites aren’t my thing, but if you’re into that, Havana Cuba is a gemstone for you.
5. La Paz, Bolivia
La Paz, or Nuestra Senora de La Paz is Spanish for “Our Lady of Peace”. It is the world’s highest administrative capital and holds a population 2.3 million inhabitants. La Paz is an important cultural center of Bolivia and hosts several cathedrals belonging to the colonial times. The mountains in the background makes this one of the prettiest pictures I’ve ever seen.
6. Vigan, Philippines
The City of Vigan, like Havana, is a World Heritage Site as declared by UNESCO due to it being home to one of the few Hispanic towns in Philippines. It has a population of half a million inhabitants as of 2010 and is the last city in our list! Another historical site for you culture and history enthusiasts!
That’s New7Wonders’ list of the 7 most remarkable cities in the world! Do you agree with all of their results, or none of it? Let us know in the comments section!
