How many of these famous landmarks have you ticked off?
Incredible feats of architecture can be found on every continent. One of the joys of travelling is finally standing at the foot of that famous tower or wandering through the ruins of an ancient site you’d seen on the history channel. These incredible locations will make you want to pack your bags and book a flight ASAP. Feast your eyes on the world’s most famous landmarks.
Statue of Liberty
Where is it? New York CIty, NY, USA When was it built? 1875 Crunch the numbers: 93 metres tall, weighing a total of 225 tonnes. Fun fact: On a windy day, the Statue of Liberty can sway as much as 6 inches.
Eiffel Tower
Where is it? Paris, France When was it built? 1875 Crunch the numbers: 324 metres tall, weighing a total of 7.3 million kilograms. Fun fact: The Eiffel Tower was never intended to be permanent. It was due to be demolished in 1909 but was repurposed as a radio antenna.
Big Ben
Where is it? London, England When was it built? 1884 Crunch the numbers: The clock tower stands at 96 metres tall. The Great Bell inside weighs more than 13 tonnes. Fun fact: Many people refer to Big Ben as the tower that houses London’s most recognisable clock, however, Big Ben was actually the name given to the Great Bell inside.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Where is it? Pisa, Italy (85km west of Florence) When was it built? 1173 Crunch the numbers: 57 metres tall, weighing around 12,500 tonnes with a current lean of 3.99 degrees. This means the top of the tower is displaced 3.9 metres from where it would be if it were perfectly vertical. Fun fact: The Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually starting to straighten. It has moved 3 inches in the last decade. Experts predict the tower will stand for at least another 200 years.
Colosseum
Where is it? Rome, Italy When was it built? Construction began in AD 72 and was finished in AD 80 Crunch the numbers: 189 metres long, 156 metres wide and 48 metres high. It can purportedly hold up to 80,000 spectators. Fun fact: Even though Ridley Scott was granted access to film his hit movie, Gladiator, at the Colosseum, it apparently wasn’t big enough. Instead, he built a replica in Malta at a cost of US$1 million.
London Eye
Where is it? London, England When was it built? 1998 Crunch the numbers: Standing at 135 metres tall, the London Eye rotates 26cm per second. A full revolution takes around 30 minutes. Fun fact: The London Eye has 32 capsules, one to represent each of the city’s 32 boroughs. However, they are numbered one to 33, skipping number 13 because it’s considered an unlucky number.
Written by Bethany Plint. Republished with permission of MyDiscoveries.