Table Mountain, South Africa, has been announced as one of the New7Wonders of Nature.

The other New7Wonders of Nature include the Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo and Puerto Princesa Underground River.

With this accolade, Table Mountain, Cape Town and South Africa can anticipate global attention. The New7Man Made Wonders (voted for in 2007) has become part of school curriculums all over the world. If the same happens to the New7Wonders of Nature, children from every corner of the globe could be learning about Table Mountain, Cape Town and South Africa as a destination. It is estimated that tourism to Table Mountain, and thus Cape Town, could increase by approximately 20%, resulting in the generation of employment opportunities.

Says Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism: “We are very, very excited about this win! From being awarded the World Design Capital 2014 designation just a few weeks ago to Table Mountain being named one of the New7Wonders of Nature, Cape Town and South Africa are standing proud!"

The campaign also gave South African’s the chance to learn more about Table Mountain. Before the campaign, many people may not have known that Table Mountain is one of the oldest mountains on the planet, estimated to be around 360 million years old. Table Mountain was named a World Heritage Site in 2004 as part of the Cape Floristic Region, the smallest and richest of the only six floral kingdoms on the planet. It supports natural forest and indigenous fynbos along with a variety of animals and birds, including 8 200 rare and endangered plant species.

Table Mountain is the only terrestrial feature on our planet to have a constellation named after it. The southern constellation Mensa (originally Mons Mensae – Latin for “the table mountain”), was named in 1754 after the increasingly world-famous landmark in the then “Cape of Good Hope”. It was a symbol of hope for freedom fighters jailed on Robben Island. Table Mountain is a recognised as a global icon, visited by millions of people each year and attracting the attention of royalty, sports stars and Hollywood celebrities. It is one of the most photographed sites in Africa.