Among 21 locations shortlisted for the worldwide vote is Stonehenge, the only British landmark selected.

The 5,000-year-old stones on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, will be up against sites including the Acropolis in Athens; the Statue of Liberty in New York; and the last remaining original wonder, the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo.

An original list of nearly 200 sites nominated by the public was narrowed to 21 by the organizers and experts, including the former director general of UNESCO Professor Federico Mayor.

The vote is organised by a non-profit Swiss foundation called 'New7Wonders' which specialises in the preservation, restoration and promotion of monuments, and the results will be announced on July 7, 2007, in Lisbon.

About 20 million votes have already been lodged, including many from India, for the Taj Mahal; China, for the Great Wall and from Peru for Machu Picchu, the fortress city of the Incas.

The only criteria for the new list is that the landmarks were built or discovered before 2000.

Votes can be made online, at www.new7wonders.com.

The 21 finalists for the New Seven Wonders of the World are: Acropolis (Greece), Alhambra (Spain), Angkor Wat temple (Cambodia), Chichen Itza Aztec site (Mexico), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), Colosseum (Italy), Easter Island Statues (Chile), Eiffel Tower (France), Great Wall (China), Hagia Sophia (Turkey), Kyomizu Temple (Japan), Kremlin/ St.Basil's (Russian Federation), Machu Picchu (Peru), Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), Petra ancient city (Jordan), Pyramids of Giza (Egypt), Statue of Liberty (USA), Stonehenge (UK), Sydney Opera House (Australia), Taj Mahal (India), Timbuktu city (Mali).