10 July 2009, 11:27
Mykola Tomenko: "Askania-Nova" among 77 Natural Wonders of the World
Today, during the briefing in the Parliament M. Tomenko, Vice-Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine announced that Biosphere reserve in Kherson Region "Askania Nova" got to the Semi-Final of the Worldwide Contest "7 New Natural Wonders""
Askania-Nova, a biosphere reserve in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, located within the dry Tavriya steppe. The natural reserve was established in 1874 by landowner Friedrich Eduardovych Falz-Fein around the German settlement Askania-Nova . The reserve consists of the acclimatization zoo, botanical garden (2.1 km²), and a virgin steppe preserve (110 km²), and has total area of 825 km².
All voting is currently on hold, as the New7Wonders Panel of Experts is considering the TOP 77 nominees from the second phase that ended on 7 July, from which they will advise on the choice of the 28 Official Finalist Candidates. On 21 July 2009 at 7 minutes past midday GMT, at the headquarters of New7Wonders in Zurich, the 28 Official Finalist Candidates will be announced, and on that day voting resumes in the Official New7Wonders of Nature, as chosen by over 1 billion votes and to be revealed in 2011.
The actual specific ranking position in the top 77 is not considered by the Panel of Experts, only the important fact that a nominee has made it into the top 77 from the originally over 440 participants, and the Panel of Experts is presented with the same alphabetical list of the top 77 as seen below. On 21 July 2009, at seven minutes past midday GMT, the 28 Official Finalist Candidates will be revealed during an announcement at the New7Wonders headquarters in Switzerland. Voting will resume on 21 July 2009 soon after the 28 finalists have been revealed
Askania-Nova has a chance to get to the 28 finalists that would e fighting for the right to be among 7new natural wonders.
Mykola Tomenko has emphasized that the main task is completed: "Askania-Nova" is among 77 best world wonders of nature. He declared that unfortunately we are not able to influence the fact that Askania-Nova should get to the final.
Список переможців другого етапу Всесвітнього конкурсу «Сім нових чудес природи»
THE TOP 77
Nominee Country
Al-hasa Oasis SAUDI ARABIA
Amazon BOLIVIA/ BRAZIL/ COLOMBIA/ ECUADOR/ FRENCH GUIANA/ GUYANA/ PERU/ SURINAME/ VENEZUELA
Angel Falls VENEZUELA
Askania-Nova UKRAINE
Atacama Desert CHILE
Azure Window MALTA
Bay of Fundy CANADA
Belogradchik Rocks BULGARIA
Bialowieza Forest BELARUS/ POLAND
Black Forest GERMANY
Bu Tinah Shoals UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Chicamocha Canyon COLOMBIA
Christmas Island CHRISTMAS ISLAND
Cliffs of Moher IRELAND
Coatepeque Lake EL SALVADOR
Cocos Island COSTA RICA
Colca Canyon PERU
Conchi ARUBA
Cox's Bazar BANGLADESH
Dead Sea ISRAEL/ JORDAN/ PALESTINE
Dean's Blue Hole BAHAMAS
Djavolja Varos SERBIA
Douro River Valley PORTUGAL
Eisriesenwelt AUSTRIA
El Yunque PUERTO RICO
Fernando de Noronha BRAZIL
Galápagos Islands ECUADOR
Grand Canyon UNITED STATES
Great Barrier Reef AUSTRALIA/ PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Ha Long Bay VIET NAM
Han-Sur-Lesse Caves BELGIUM
Iguazu Falls ARGENTINA/ BRAZIL
Jeita Grotto LEBANON
Jeju Island KOREA (SOUTH)
Kaieteur Falls GUYANA
Kaziranga National Park INDIA
Komodo National Park INDONESIA
Laguna Colorada BOLIVIA
Lake Atitlan GUATEMALA
Lake Bled SLOVENIA
Lake Ohrid ALBANIA/ MACEDONIA (FYROM)
Lake Saiful Maluk PAKISTAN
Lake Saimaa FINLAND
Lake Titicaca BOLIVIA/ PERU
Maldives MALDIVES
Masurian Lakes District POLAND
Matterhorn/Cervino ITALY/ SWITZERLAND
Milford Sound NEW ZEALAND
Mount Kilimanjaro TANZANIA
Mount Olympus GREECE
Mud Volcanoes AZERBAIJAN
Norfolk Island NORFOLK ISLAND
Ometepe Island NICARAGUA
Platano Forest HONDURAS
Pravcice Gate CZECH REPUBLIC
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River PHILIPPINES
Retezat National Park ROMANIA
Rock of Aphrodite CYPRUS
Sinharaja Rainforest SRI LANKA
Sipadan Island MALAYSIA
Sossusvlei NAMIBIA
Štrbské Pleso Lake SLOVAKIA
Sumidero Canyon MEXICO
Sundarbans Forest BANGLADESH/ INDIA
Table Mountain SOUTH AFRICA
Thy National Park DENMARK
Uluru (Ayers Rock) AUSTRALIA
Vesuvius ITALY
Vrelo Caves MACEDONIA (FYROM)
Wadi Rum JORDAN
Yu Shan CHINESE TAIPEI