The new seven wonders of the world to be announced

The seven wonders of the world to be announced today

History will be re-written today when the world gets to know which of 21 sites will become the new Seven Wonders of the World. The "mythical" Malian city of Timbuktu is the only site in sub-Saharan Africa to be nominated.

Other contenders include Jordan's Petra, the Acropolis, the Stature of Liberty and Britain's Stonehenge. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Lisbon today.

Over 90 million people have voted. Voting for the seven new wonders of the world ends at midnight.

The South African government, Telkom and the SABC have put their weight behind Timbuktu.

Timbuktu is a city in the West African nation of Mali. About 500 years ago it was a wealthy trading port, and a centre for academics and scholars of religion, literature and science.