The New 7 Wonders of Nature celebrated with special performances at the Expo 2020 Dubai

DUBAI: Countries from across the world came together to celebrate the ‘New 7 Wonders of Nature’ at the open-air Jubilee Stage at Expo 2020 Dubai.

These seven natural wonders consist of the Amazon Rainforest and River in South America; Ha Long Bay in Vietnam; Jeju Island in South Korea; Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil; Komodo Island in Indonesia; Table Mountain in South Africa; and Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park in the Philippines. They were selected from an online poll to find the world’s favourite natural spectacles back in 2007.

To celebrate the wonders, the Vietnam Pavilion organised a number of traditional songs and dance performances to showcase the culture of some of the countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia and Vietnam, whose incredible natural features are on the list.

Bernard Webber, Founder and President of the New 7 Wonders Foundation, which oversaw the original 2007 poll, said: “An incredible 600 million people from all over the world used the first-ever global voting platform to elect the seven wonders of nature. These seven wonders will become a global memory for future generations.”

Jean-Paul de la Fuente, Director of New 7 Wonders, said, “The wonders are very important assets for the world, assets for these nations, and we want to take Expo’s global platform as an opportunity to talk to the world about positive and engaging things like this.”

Vietnam celebrated Ha Long Bay, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, with performances involving traditional bamboo musical instruments, where bamboo is a symbol of its people’s life and soul, and the instruments a source of national pride. Ha Long Bay covers an area of 1,553 sq kilometres, with around 2,000 islets, most of which are limestone forged over 500 million years in different conditions and environments. The landmark is home to diverse species of flora and fauna and boasts tropical evergreen, oceanic and sea shore biosystems.

Celebrating Iguazu Falls, the largest waterfall system in the world, Argentinian dancers performed the iconic tango in perfectly-synchronised dance steps. At 269 ft high and 8,858 ft wide, the Iguazu Falls are taller and twice as wide as Niagara Falls and comprise 275 different waterfalls in the shape of a horseshoe. Iguazu Falls are in Argentina and Brazil, and the Iguazu River forms the boundary between the two countries.

Next on stage was a dancing troupe from Brazil, performing the energetic samba in trademark carnival-style costumes and dance moves. Brazil holds approximately 60 per cent of the Amazon within its borders, and much of northwestern Brazil is covered by the world’s largest tropical rainforest. The Amazon Rainforest consists of more than two million miles of land and plays an important part in regulating the world’s oxygen and carbon cycles. It is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, with almost 500 indigenous communities.

Colombia also celebrated the Amazon with a street-party-style song and dance, and a Cuban band joined the celebrations with its cha cha cha and rumba beats. The Amazon Rainforest spans nine South American countries, and is 10 million years old, but is disappearing rapidly due to deforestation.

Indonesia celebrated Komodo Island, with dancers dressed in elaborate costumes and headgear, showing the diversity of their culture through a medley of traditional song and dance. Komodo Island is one of 17,508 islands of Indonesia, and the habitat of the largest lizard on Earth, the Komodo dragon. The Komodo National Park, which has up to 5,965 Komodo dragons, is listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.

Source: Expo 2020 Website