No formal list exists of the wonders of the modern world. These seven, all of which can still be seen today, were selected by Reader's Digest editors.
THE TAJ MAHAL
Built 1630-48 by the emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb, made of white marble and inlaid with other stones, is in Agra, north India. Shah Jahan is also buried there.
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
Built originally to keep out nomadic invaders from the north, most of the present wall was constructed during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Altogether, the wall winds for 2240km (1400 miles) across northern China and has an average height of 7m (23ft).
THE EASTER ISLAND STATUES
Colossal, elongated heads - up to 9.5m (32 ft) high - carved from volcanic rock. The South Pacific island on which they stand was discovered on Easter Day 1722 by the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeven - and the statues were probably made by the ancestors of the island's Polynesian inhabitants.
THE EIFFEL TOWER
Built for the 1889 Paris Exhibition by the French bridge engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. Made of wrought iron, it stands 300m high (984ft) high on the left bank of the River Seine. Its revolutionary lattice-work earned Eiffel the title 'magician of iron'.
THE MAYAN CITY OF TIKAL, CENTRAL AMERICA
Tikal, the ceremonial centre of the Mayan empire, dates from about 300 BC and was rediscovered in 1848 by a team of Guatemalan explorers. Situated in northern Guatemala, its temples and buildings include the imposing Pyramid of the Great Jaguar and the Palace of the Nobles.
THE SPACE SHUTTLE
The US space shuttle Columbia was first launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1981. With a crew of two or three astronauts, it is designed to carry satellites into space, to retrieve and repair them, and to build large stations in space.
CHARTRES CATHEDRAL
The Gothic cathedral, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, stands on a hill overlooking the French market town. Among its glories are its stained-glass windows (173 in all), which produce a unique 'Chartres-blue' light.
