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The Seven Wonders of the Philippines

About a month ago I decided to start a series of articles highlighting the places I visit. So I decided to rip off the Seven Wonders theme which the New Seven Wonders group ripped off from Herodotus. (Only steal from the best I say.)

I also thought it would be a good idea to get people who live in the places I’ve been to contribute. So I contacted bloggers from the Philippines. I initially got a list of nominations and then set the list to bloggers to vote on. I got votes from Bloggers over the last week and tallied up the results.

I picked the Philippines to do first because it has a very active blogger community and it is a country that I think more people should really learn about. I have personally only visited three of the seven on the list and one of the honorable mention sites, so I guess I have a reason to return.

View the Seven Wonders of the Philippines on Google Earth or Google Maps.

The Seven Wonders of the Philippines

Rice Terraces of Banaue

The Rice Terraces of Banaue are perhaps the most well know attraction in the Philippines. Located in central Luzon, they have been carved by local Ifugao people over the last 3,000 thousand years. When you visit, you can see terraces still being built today. The locals often describe the terraces as the largest man made structure created without forced labor. If each terrace were laid end to end, they would stretch almost 14,000 miles. They were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995 and placed on the endangered list in 2001.

Photo by Lexxmax

Tubbataha Reef

Located in the middle of the Sulu Sea, Tubbataha Reef is one of the largest and best preserved reef systems in the world. Actually composed to two atolls, Tubbataha is far removed from any human settlement, it is a 92 mile boat trip from the city of Puerto Princessa. The marine park covers over 968 km² and is home to over 300 coral species and 400 fish species, rivaling the diversity of the Great Barrier Reef. The few pieces of atoll which are above water are also home to a large number of seabirds. It was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in 1993.

Image by Meteparaozzi

Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills are located on the Island of Bohol. They are over 1,200 hills, covering over 50 km² and get their name because the grass which covers the hills turns brown during the dry season. The hills are almost all conical in shape and made of limestone. Many people have believed that they were human creations. Geologists are not entirely sure how they were created. Theories include erosion of limestone, volcanic uplift, and accretion of limestone around basalt fragments from a volcanic eruption. The government of the Philippines has declared it one of their flagship tourist destinations. The Chocolate Hills are so central to the people of Bohol, they appear on the flag of the province.

Subterranean River at Puerto Princessa

The underground river at the Puerto Princessa Subterranean River National Parkis the world’s longest navigatable underground river. Located just north of the city of Puerto Princessa on the island of Palawan, the subterranean river is karst formation which was created inside of a limestone mountain. The river can be navigated 6km into the mountain and empties into the South China Sea. In addition to the subterranean river, the park is also the home to large monitor lizards and maque monkeys. The park was inscribed on to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1999.

Image by Johs Bousel

Taal Volcano

Taal volcano has a unique distinction in the world. It contains the largest island, inside of a lake, which is on an island, which is inside a lake, which is on an island. (got that?) Taal is a very active volcano which has killed over 5,000 people in recorded history. It has been named one of 16 decade volcanoes in the world worthy of special study. Inside the Taal caldera is Lake Tall, which is a 25km across. The lake is know for its high sulfur content and is also home to many endemic species of freshwater fish. Taal is only 50km from the city of Manila.

Photo by Kool.Angot

Mayon Volcano

Mayon volcano is perhaps the most perfectly shaped conic volcano in the world. It has been called by some the “Filipino Mount Fuji”. Located in south east Luzon, it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It has erupted close to 50 times since the year 1600, with the most recent eruption occurring in 2006. 77 people were killed in an eruption in 1993 and 75,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes during an eruption in 1984. It rises 2462 m over Legazpi City in the province of Albany.

Photo by Jose de Luna

Boracay

Boracay is a small island approximately 200 miles south of Manila and is very close to the major island of Panay. Its white sand beaches and direct flights from all over Asia, have made it one of the Philippines most popular tourist destinations. White Beach is the longest beach on Boracay and extends 4 km on west side of the islands.

Honorable Mention

Photo by Jack Versloot

El Nido

Located on the northern tip of the island of Palawan, El Nido is known for its distinctive limestone islands and inlets. El Nido consistantly scores high in surveys of top eco-tourist destinations in the world. Forbes magazine rated the wreck dives off the island of Coron as some one of the top 10 dive sites in the world. Archeological evidence of human habitation dating back 22,000 years has also been found in El Nido.

Photo by AJ Matela

Batanes

The Province of Batanes is the northern most, and smallest province in the Philippines. It is located almost halfway between is island of Luzon and Taiwan. The culture of the Ivatan people is unique in the Philippines. Crime in Batanes is almost unknown as many police officials have complained of nothing to do with zero crimes reported and no one in the jails.

Mall of Asia

It may be surprising to some, but one of the largest malls in the world is in Manila. The SM Mall of Asia is third largest mall in the world in terms of gross leaseable area, surpassed only by two malls in China (neither of which is anywhere near capacity). The Mall of Asia consists of four separate buildings connected by open air walkways. It is 50% larger than the Mall of America and 10% larger than the West Edmonton Mall. It addition to the standard mall fare, it also is host to an Olympic sized ice skating rink.

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Special thanks to those who voted: Joan from http://joanjoyce.com, Sonnie from Sesantos, Maria from Tesstermulo, Mariclaire from Mind of Nowhere, Janesse from The Wifey Diaries, Rome from Income fro Everyone, Dominick from Pinoy Dreamer, Julius from Hanapbahay, Bley from Blogalag, Stenorized from Stenorized, and Ivan from Ivan About Town.