Everybody loves lists.  I can name my top five albums during my undergrad years on command (Yoshimi, Alien Lanes, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, My Aim is True, Washing Machine).  They can expose a person’s film snobbery or simply summarize things to do for a weekend.  Best yet, lists generate passionate debate on topics of great interest.  Historians have compiled numerous lists of the best American presidents.  Best soccer rivalries in the world?  Good luck sorting that out, hooligans.

Perhaps one of the most famous lists was compiled by Philo of Byzantium, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  Only the Pyramids still remain but the list continues to fascinate, so much so that an organization conducted “the largest poll on record” to compile a new list of seven wonders.  The New7Wonders Foundation undertook a project that ultimately lead to over 100 million votes from over 220 countries, resulting in the New 7 Wonders of the World.

With such success, the New7Wonders Foundation has embarked on a quest to compile another list, the New7Wonders of Nature.  Over 400 natural wonders were pared down to 77 nominees.  A panel of experts recommended 28 as finalists based on unique beauty, diversity and distribution, ecological significance, historical significance, and geo-location (equal worldwide representation).  The final New7Wonders of Nature will be announced in 2011.

Any list, by its very nature, overestimates some and slights countless others.  Here is my list of notable exclusions from the 28 finalists.

Mount Everest – The world’s highest mountain is perhaps the most glaring exemption from the finalists.  It was an initial nominee but did not make the cut of 77.  Other far less impressive mountains made it further than Everest, such as Table Mountain in South Africa, Mount Vesuvius, and Mount Olympus.  Most perplexing is the inclusion of Matterhorn on list of 28 finalists, likely included to compensate for the lack of European options.  Perhaps an attraction at Disneyland would have enhanced Everest’s chances.  One other explanation may involve so-called Official Supporting Committees.  These are necessary in the competition for sites to be considered a finalist.  China may have wanted to avoid the Tibet issue and discouraged any OSCs while political instability in Nepal could have lead to lack of involvement.

Victoria Falls – The largest sheet of falling water in the world and claimed to be largest waterfall in world, The Smoke that Thunders was an initial nominee but failed to be amongst the list of 77.  Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Falls’ indigenous name, had been included on a previous list compiled by CNN.

Okavango Delta – The Okavango Delta in Botswana is the world’s largest inland delta.  The Delta is subject to seasonal flooding as over 90 million liters of water flow into the delta, swallowing islands whole that only re-emerge at the end of season in an immense process of evaporation.  The waters attract a wealth of wildife that is outstanding even in Africa.  All this seems to be sufficient for the panel’s criteria but the Okavango Delta did not even make it to the list of 77.

Sahara Desert – Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert and almost equals the United States in size.  The Siwa Oasis in Egypt was a nominee and its description connected it to the Sahara, providing one explanation as to why this wonder was left out in the cold.

Serengeti – This ecosystem, covering parts of Tanzania and Kenya, hosts a semi-annual overland migration, the largest and longest in the world.  Tsetse flies discourage human settlement, resulting in an extremely diverse range of species.  The Ngorongoro Crater, located within the Serengeti, likely stole its nomination.

Lake Baikal – This is a lake of superlatives:  the deepest, largest (by volume), and oldest.  The Russian lake was prevented a spot amongst the 77 nominees by less deserving sites in Eastern Europe.

Yellowstone National Park – Americans treasure their national park system and Yellowstone was the first in the world.  It was an initial nominee but the Grand Canyon stole its thunder.

Gunung Mulu National Park – An immense cave system in Malaysian Borneo that includes the largest known natural chamber that reputedly could house St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pantanal – The Amazon overshadows its South American brother to the south but the Pantanal is the world’s largest wetlands, covering Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.  This area is home to fantastic fauna, such as the capybara and one of the largest jaguar populations in the world.  Like many environmental wonders of the world, the Pantanal is threatened by various human activities.  National Geographic had a wonderful feature on the issues the Pantanal faces in the May 2005 issue.

Antarctica – The coldest, driest, and windiest continent is an odd choice for a natural wonder.  However, scientists are able to conduct experiments here that are not reproducible anywhere else in the world.  The most important of these concern human activity and its impact on the Earth.  The landmark NASA discovery of ozone depletion brought atmospheric degradation, and thus climate change, to the forefront of international relations.

Those, unfortunately, won’t be on the list come 2011.  So, top seven natural wonders based on a flawed nomination process promoted by a Swiss foundation?  Here’s my list based on the 28 finalists.

Amazon – The lungs of the world comprises over half of the remaining rain forests, obviously making it the world’s largest rain forest.  Hardened men such as the conquistadors were even frightened by the Dark Hell.  One thing certain to frighten mankind today is the prospect of the Amazon slipping irreversibly past a tipping point, leading to unimaginable consequences.   The absence of the Amazon on the New7Wonders of Nature list would be equivalent to the Great Pyramid of Giza not making the New7Wonders of the World list of 2007.  Wait, that actually did happen.

Galápagos Islands – The best seven days of my life so far were spent aboard a boat cruising the Galápagos.  The unreal landscapes and variety and courage of the wildlife are remarkable.  We all know the story of the HMS Beagle and Charles Darwin.  The Islands face a host of threats:  exploding tourism, overpopulation, illegal fishing, and the introduction of alien species such as cats, goats, and avocado.

Great Barrier Reef – It can be seen from space and is the largest structure created by living organisms.  Reason enough.

Grand Canyon – It is a beautiful wonder but another wonder included in the slights above would have knocked it off my ballot.  It’s a token candidate likely to be included in the 2011 final list.

Mount Kilimanjaro – There certainly could have been other mountains on this list instead of Kilimanjaro but it is the world’s highest free-standing mountain.  I see it as a symbol of the effects of climate change, as Hemingway’s fabled Snows of Kilimanjaro possibly will be gone forever in a matter of decades.

Dead Sea – It’s an underwhelming pick when compared to other wonders that didn’t even make the finals.  However, it has its quirks as the lowest elevation of dry land and its high salinity.  Egyptian mummies and cosmetics credit the Dead Sea for its source of minerals.  I love photographs of buoyant tourists reading newspapers while bathing.  One of the main reasons I’ve included it is to maintain geographic balance in my list.

Sundarbans – The more and more I read about the Sundarbans the more I realize it is an underrated natural wonder.  I hadn’t even known about it until researching for this article but, then again, my knowledge of the Indian subcontinent is practically nil.  It is the largest mangrove forest in the world and is blessed by the holy Ganges River.  The legendary and threatened Royal Bengal Tiger roams the Sundarbans.  The forest also serves as a flood barrier for crowded Kolkata.

Now that I’ve opened myself up to criticism, what is your top seven natural wonders of the world (based on the 28 finalists)?  Post in the comments if you feel so inclined.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola – founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and created the Spiritual Exercises

Saint Francis Xavier – co-founder of the Society of Jesus and missionary to Asia

Isabel Allende – magic realist and author of The House of the Spirits; born to a family of Basque heritage

José María Olazábal – golfer and two-time winner of the Masters (1994, 1999)

Ted Williams – baseball Hall of Famer and last player to hit .400; the mother of Teddy Ballgame had Basque blood

Juan Sebastián Elcano – navigator, first person to complete circumnavigation of the world (navigated the only ship in Magellan’s fleet that made circumnavigation; Magellan was killed in the Philippines)

Simón Bolívar – El Libertador, this Latin American hero is credited with liberating Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama; the Bolívar name is traced to a Basque village

Che Guevara – Argentine revolutionary who earned Comandante status in Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement; Guevara’s family had Basque ancestry

Eva Peron – otherwise known as Evita, the former First Lady of Argentina traces her Basque lineage to her grandparents

The pilgrimage has several established routes that all lead to Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are supposedly buried.  It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times but declined in importance over the centuries.  The end of Francoist rule and Spain’s entry into the European Community contributed to a resurgent Camino, attracting pilgrims for spiritual and non-spiritual reasons.  It was listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

I will continue to highlight the Way of St. James until the end of March in a new series, Camino, documenting my preparation as I will make my penance, walking over 500 miles of the Camino del Norte route this spring.

What to look for in the coming weeks:

• Articles on the history and culture of the Camino de Santiago
• Regional highlights of the Camino
• Flickr and YouTube collections from pilgrims
• My preparations, i.e. reading list, packing list, etc., for my 500-mile walk (see map below)

So, what could be better than packing your flip-flops and beach towel for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil?  The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it.

FIFA recently announced they will allow Brazil to stage the world’s biggest sporting event in 12 cities rather than 10.  17 cities are competing for host city status and plans are afoot in some to build new stadiums while others will give their current stadium a significant face lift.  Rio de Janeiro is guaranteed to host the final match at the legendary Maracanã, site of one of the biggest upsets in soccer history during the 1950 World Cup.

If your wanderlust is percolating check out this Google Map I created.  It plots out the 17 candidate cities and provides information about the stadiums.  Put the map on Satellite view to zoom in on the cities and stadiums. Below is a smaller version of the map.  Enjoy and start planning!