Desert and islands compete for new seven wonders
23 May 2009
The Empty Quarter with the Liwa Oasis and the Bu Tinah Archipelago are the two places of natural beauty in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) competing for a place among the seven natural wonders of the world, the contest created by Switzerland's New7Wonders Foundation.
Having passed the first round, the Abu Dhabi environmental authority has given its blessing for the formation of an official commission in support of the two nominees, in the "panorama" and "islands" categories respectively as the contest's regulations require, Ansamed agency reports. The UAE has also proposed itself as the host nation for the awards ceremony that will officially recognise the seven winners, which is scheduled for 2011.
The Empty Quarter, or Rub Al Khalil, which extends between the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, is one of the largest deserts in the world and the Liwa Oasis, runs for almost 100km along its southern tip. Bu Tinah, more a series of shoals off of Abu Dhabi than an archipelago, is part of the Marawah Marine Biosphere reserve, and is virtually unspoilt by humans. In addition to the enchantment of the natural landscape, the shoals are home to sea turtles and to the second largest dugong, marine mammals which can reach up to two and a half metres in length and that are extinct in some parts of the world, colony in the world.