ARC
DE TRIOMPHE
The Arc de Triomphe is
a monument in Paris at the western end of the
Champs-Élysées. The monument stands over 51 metres
(165 feet) in height and is 45 metres wide. It is the second
largest triumphal arch in existence, commissioned in 1806 after the
victory at Austerlitz by Emperor Napoleon I at the peak of his
fortunes.
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BANK
OF CHINA TOWER
The Bank of China Tower (BOC Tower) is one of the most recognized
skyscrapers in Central, Hong Kong. It houses the headquarters for the
Bank of China. BOC Tower was designed by architect I. M. Pei and
completed in 1989. The building is 315 metres high with two masts
reaching 369 metres (1209 feet) high. This was the tallest building in
Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992.
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BIG
BEN
Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the
north-eastern end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is
often extended to refer to the clock or the clock tower as well. It is
the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest
free-standing clock tower in the world.
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BROOKLYN
BRIDGE
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the
United States, stretching 5,989 feet (1825 m) over the East River,
connecting the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Upon
completion in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world,
the first steel-wire suspension bridge, and the first bridge to connect
to Long Island. Since its opening, it has become an iconic part of the
New
York skyline.
Designed by the brilliant engineer John Augustus Roebling
(1806-1869) and completed by his equally ingenious son Washington
Roebling (1837-1926), this elegant structure was, at the time of its
completion in 1883, the longest suspension bridge in the world.
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BURJ
AL ARAB
The Burj Al Arab is a luxury
hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,050 ft), it
is the second tallest building in the world used exclusively as a
hotel. The Burj Al Arab
stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) out from Jumeirah beach,
and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an
iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation
and to mimic the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two "wings"
spread in a V
to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a
massive atrium.
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CHRYSLER
BUILDING
The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in New York City,
located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the
intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at 319
metres (1,047 ft), it was the world's tallest building for 11
months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931.
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COLOSSEUM
The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre,
is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy,
the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest
works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. Occupying a site
just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started
between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed
in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during
Domitian's reign (81–96).
Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used
for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles, such as
mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous
battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.
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EIFFEL
TOWER
The Eiffel Tower is a 19th century
iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris that has
become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable
structures in the world. The Eiffel Tower, which is the tallest
building in Paris, is the single most visited paid monument in the
world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named after its
designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance
arch for the 1889 World's Fair. The tower stands at 324 m (1,063 ft)
tall. It was the tallest structure in the world from its
completion until 1930, when it was eclipsed by the Chrysler Building in
New York City.
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EL
CASTILLO PYRAMID
El Castillo (Spanish for "The Castle") is the nickname of a spectacular
Mesoamerican step-pyramid that dominates the center of the Chichen Itza
archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatán. Built by
the Maya civilization sometime between the 10th and 13th
centuries AD, "El Castillo" served as a temple to the god Kukulcan (the
Maya name for Quetzalcoatl).
It is a step pyramid with a ground plan of square terraces with
stairways up each of the four sides to the temple on top. Great
sculptures of plumed serpents run down the sides of the northern
staircase, and are set off by shadows from the corner tiers on the
spring and autumn equinoxes. The pyramid has 91 steps on three of the
sides and 92 on the north staircase, which adds up to 365 steps, or
days of the year.
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EMPIRE
STATE
BUILDING
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark Art Deco skyscraper
in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th
Street. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New
York. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty
years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World
Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972. Following the
destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, the Empire State
Building once again became the tallest building in New York City and
New York State.
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GATEWAY
ARCH
The Gateway Arch, also known as the Gateway to the West, is an integral
part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and the iconic image
of St. Louis, Missouri. It was designed by Finnish-American architect
Eero Saarinen and structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947. It
stands 630 feet (192 m) tall, and is 630 feet (192 m) wide at its base,
making it the tallest monument in the United States. The monument was
opened in 1967.
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GLOBE
THEATRE
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William
Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the
Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A
modern reconstruction of the Globe, named "Shakespeare's Globe",
opened in 1997. It is approximately 230 metres (750 ft) from the site
of the original theatre.
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GOLDEN
GATE
BRIDGE
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate,
the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of
both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, it connects the city
of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to
Marin County. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge
span in the world when it was completed during the year 1937, and has
become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and
California.
Since its completion, the span length has been surpassed by
eight other bridges. It still has the second longest suspension bridge
main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in
New York City. In 1999, it was ranked fifth on the List of America's
Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.
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GREAT
WALL OF CHINA
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications
in
northern China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century
BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese
Empire from Xiongnu attacks during various successive dynasties. Since
the 5th century BC, several walls have been built that were referred to
as the Great Wall.
The most comprehensive archaeological survey has recently concluded
that the entire Great Wall, with
all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi). This is
made up of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi) of sections of actual wall, 359.7 km
(223.5 mi) of trenches and 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi) of natural defensive
barriers such as hills and rivers.
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ISHTAR
GATE
The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of
Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King
Nebuchadnezzar II on the north side of the city. Dedicated to the
Babylonian goddess Ishtar, the Gate was constructed of
blue glazed tiles with alternating rows of bas-relief sirrush (dragons)
and aurochs. The roof and doors of the gate were of cedar, according to
the
dedication plaque. Through the gate ran the Processional Way which was
lined with walls covered in lions on glazed bricks (about 120 of them).
A reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way was built at
the Pergamon Museum in Berlin out of material excavated by Robert
Koldewey and finished in the 1930s. It stands 47 feet high and 100 feet
wide (14 meters by 30 meters).
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