16:40 | Lima, May 29 (ANDINA).
The Amazon River & Rainforest will be officially inaugurated as one of the new seven wonders of nature in a festive ceremony to be aired both domestically and internationally on an unspecified date.
Ivan Vasquez, president of the northeastern region of Loreto, said his office is in talks with national and international television channels to broadcast the event to a large number of people.
"Although a formal program [of activities] has yet to be defined, it will be spectacular, magical and linked to the Amazonia," he said, adding that the program is jointly organized with Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism.
The New 7 Wonders of Nature search began in 2007, drawing 440 entries from more than 220 countries. Millions voted for the top 77, which was further narrowed down to 28 finalists for the final phase, including the 6280 kilometer (3900 mile) long Amazon River, which originates in Peru and flows through Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean.
Last December, the organizers of the competition announced that the Amazon Rainforest made it to the list of winners.
The other six wonders of nature are: Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Philippines' Puerto Princesa Underground River, Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, South Korea’s Jeju Island, Indonesia’s Komodo Island and South Africa’s Table Mountain.
The Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia, the Amazon jungle or the Amazon Basin, encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), though the forest itself occupies some 5.5 million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres), located within nine nations.
(END) LTO/VVS/EEP
Published: 5/29/2012