Ah the Wonders of the World. Seven natural, seven ancient. Many still around, many lost to the decay of time. As a fan of nature, I love the natural wonders. As a fan of history, I’m drawn to the ancient. My personal favorite of the fourteen is probably the Lighthouse of Alexandria, but how does the rest of the country feel?
Student travel company Rustic Pathways analyzed Google search data to determine the most Googled-Wonders of the World, considering all fourteen natural and ancient wonders over a three-year period. The most popular, surprise surprise, was Mount Everest.
Everest recorded a huge 1.4 million searches in January 2024 alone, sitting as the most popular Wonders of the World related search in all but two states, Montana and Alaska. Those two states put the second most Googled, Aurora Borealis, as their number one.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was the first Ancient Wonder of the World, taking third place overall and followed by Victoria Falls in fourth. #5, #6, and #7 are all natural wonders, going the Grand Canyon, ParÃcutin Volcano, and the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Pyramids of Giza are number 8, the Colossus of Rhodes is number 9, and the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro closes out the natural wonders at #10.
The final four are as follows: the Temple of Artemus at Ephesus, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and, finally, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Frankly, I think the biggest surprise is how low the Grand Canyon is. I would have put that above the Great Barrier Reef.
Just to clean things up for a quick look, here’s the rankings once again:
- Mount Everest
- Aurora Borealis
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- Victoria Falls
- The Grand Canyon
- ParÃcutin Volcano
- The Great Barrier Reef
- The Great Pyramids of Giza
- The Colossus of Rhodes
- The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro
- The Temple of Artemus at Ephesus
- The Lighthouse of Alexandria
- The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Related: Travel Guide Ranks All 63 National Parks, Shenandoah Earns #1
Featured Image Credit: National Park Service via Facebook