Paris ? Maybe it simply feeds modern society’s obsession with lists and rankings, but more than 2,000 years after ancient Greeks identified the Seven Wonders of the World, millions of people around the globe are casting Internet ballots to update the list.

Whether motivated by nationalism, conservation, curiosity or sheer boredom, more than 4 million Chinese, Indians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Americans and others have voted at www.new7wonders.com, organizers say. They have generated 21 wonder finalists, including the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Acropolis in Athens, Jordan’s ancient city of Petra and the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

A few finalists – notably the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and Sydney Opera House – have left experts and neophytes alike wondering.

“It is comparing apples and oranges, and that’s why it is a subjective thing, but a wonder is something that moves you and makes you wonder why they built it and how they built it,” said Tia Viering, a spokeswoman for the organizers, the New7Wonders Foundation.

The seven winners will be announced July 7, or 07/07/07.