Ramon Crater up for 8th Wonder of World

One of Israel's natural treasures included in competition sponsored by VirtualTourist.com alongside San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes

Daniel Koren|Published: 06.13.13 , 13:21

Since the Original Seven Wonders of the World – the Colossus of Rhodes, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus – a list compiled by the Ancient Greeks who marveled at these extraordinary geological locales, many modern lists have been conducted by various institutions, including one by CNN, which often include the Grand Canyon, the Taj Mahal, the Golden Gate Bridge, the CN Tower, and many more.

Touring Israel

Visit to Makhtesh Ramon desert crater

Associated Press

Karen Schwartz tries to get 10-year-old interested in Israel's natural geography book, telling stories that in some instances date back 220 million years

Visit to Makhtesh Ramon desert crater

Now, in a bid to finally label which of these wondrous destinations deserve the acclaim, VirtualTourist.com, a travel research website part of the Trip Advisor Media Group, is sponsoring the Eight Wonder of the World contest, which is officially underway.

Over 200 contenders will battle for the prestigious title, including San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes, Houston's Armand Bayou Nature Center, Badlands National Park, the Indianapolis Motor Speedboat, and also Israel's Ramon Crater.

The Makhtesh Ramon Crater site is a 200-million-year-old naturally formed crater, the largest of its kind in the world.

"The USA has its Grand Canyon and Canada has its abundance of natural wonders as well, but Israel has the Ramon Crater," states Ami Allon of Canada's Consul for Tourism, Israel Government Tourist Office. "The diversity and contrasts of the regions of Israel offers our visitors a great abundance of breathtaking natural wonders, picturesque vistas, and their corresponding visitor experiences.

"The Ramon Crater is one of those natural national treasures that is being discovered by adventurous visitors to Israel and which warrants such international recognition."

The contest winner will be featured in a nationally broadcast TV segment and will be highly publicized on VirtualTourist.com.

Travelers worldwide can submit one vote per day up until September 30 at www.virtualtourist.com/8thwonder .