South Africa recently celebrated the news that Table Mountain was provisionally named one of the new Seven Natural Wonders of the World following a three-year global competition to choose the world's seven most wonderful natural sites. The seven winners, in alphabetical order, are: the Amazon in South America; Halong Bay in Vietnam; Iguazu Falls in Argentina; Jeju Island in South Korea; Komodo in Indonesia; Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines; and Table Mountain.

"This is an incredible moment for us," Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille told the euphoric crowd gathered at the V&A Waterfront. "Our mountain, which we all cherish, is now officially recognized as one of the marvels of the environment. De Lille described Table Mountain as "a symbol of permanence in a world that is full of change. It is a symbol of the heritage that we are privileged to have. And it is a symbol that reminds us that we are privileged enough to live in an incredible country with incredible assets, giving us hope for the future."

After playing host to a successful 2010 Fifa World Cup, and Cape Town having recently been declared World Design Capital 2014, South Africans can be proud of yet another accolade and world-wide recognition for their beautiful country.

There are also the New Seven Man-made Wonders of the World, announced by the Swiss New7Wonders Foundation after its first competition in 2007. These are the Colosseum in Italy; the Great Wall of China; India's Taj Mahal; Jordan's Petra; Brazil's Christ the Redeemer Statue; Machu Picchu in Peru; and the Pyramid at Chichen Itza in Mexico.

A number of similar lists have been compiled over the ages, the best known being the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the first known list of the most remarkable man-made creations of classical antiquity – of which only the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is still in existence.