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Qingdao Haiwan Bridge, Qingdao, China
The Qingdao Haiwan Bridge connects the city of Qingdao in Eastern China with the Huangdao suburbs, across the waters of Jiaozhou Bay. Opened in 2011, it currently is the longest over water bridge in the world, with a total length of 26.4 miles (42.5 kilometers). Building this bridge cut the distance between the two cities by 19 miles (31 kilometers), reducing the travel time by 20 minutes (at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour). The bridge `took four years and the daily work of 10,000 employees -
Great Wall Of China
16 Centuries it was built in china
Originally built to protect the northern territories of China from invasions, the Great Wall has been rebuilt and maintained for more than 16 centuries. The wall stretches for 5,500 miles (8,851 km), including some natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers. Unlike many other fortifications at that time, bricks and stone were used in the construction of the Great Wall, instead of rammed earth. In the Juyongguan pass, the wall reaches 25.6 feet (7.8 m -
Colleseum Rome
This is the largest amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire and definitely one of the greatest achievements of Roman engineering. It only took eight years to finish this amazing structure that continues to stand as Rome’s most prestigious symbol for almost 2,000 years now. With a capacity of 50,000, the Colosseum was used for gladiator contests, animal hunts, re-enactments of famous battles and dramas. During the Middle Ages, it was used as a workshop, a fortress, a quarry and even a Christi -
Taj Mahal
This is truly the 17th century ideal fusion of between architecture, engineering and art. The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his third wife. The central structure of the complex and the most popular piece is made of marble with a height of 115 feet (35 meters). The top of the dome features a lotus design, which accentuates its height. This is also emphasized by tall decorative spires that extend from the edges of the base walls. The central dome is surrou -
panama cANAL
The Panama Canal is a 48 mile (77 kilometers) long ship canal that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. The canal was built from 1904 to 1914 and it was one of the most difficult engineering projects ever pioneered. The opening of the canal had a tremendous impact upon shipping between the two oceans, since all the boats en route from one ocean to the other did not have to route around the notorious Cape Horn anymore, America’s southernmost point. Besides excavating immense volumes of -
The Hoover Dam, Arizona/Nevada, USA
Once known as Boulder Dam, The Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam built on the Colorado River, between 1931 and 1936. The dam is a marvel of engineering, given that never before such a huge concrete structure was built in such a torrid environment. Its generators continue to provide power for three states: Nevada, Arizona and California and more than 1 million people visit the dam each year. The colossal structure is 726 feet (221 meters) high and 1,244 feet (379 meters) long at the top -
Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE
This is currently the tallest man-made structure ever built, measuring 2,717 feet (828 meters). The tower’s chief architect was Adrian Smith, while the chief structural engineer position was occupied by Bill Baker. The cost of the whole project raised up to US $1,5 billion and the skyscraper was officially opened on January 4th, 2010. Burj Khalifa has 163 habitable floors, summing a floor area of 3,331,100 sq feet (309,473 sq meters). The tower has a Y-shaped design, to maximize outward views -
. Kansai Airport, Osaka, Japan
The Kansai International Airport is the first airport ever to be built on a 100% man-created island. It was built as a solution to the old airport, which was located in a highly-populated area, leaving no room for further expansions. Having no alternative on the existing grounds, the engineers had to come up with a plan for building a new island in the Osaka Bay, which should overcome the risks of earthquakes and typhoons. The construction of the 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long and 1.6 miles (2. -
Palm Islands, Dubai, UAE
The Palm Islands (otherwise known as the Atlantis) are an artificial archipelago in Dubai. Following the shape of a palm tree, the construction of the island started in 2001 and is planned to take 10-15 years to complete. After the completion, the new territory will add 320 miles (520 kilometers) of beaches to the city of Dubai. The outer edge of the archipelago is actually a 10.5 miles (17 kilometers) long rock breakwater, made of over 7 million tons of rock. Creating the inner arc-shaped isl -
The Channel Tunnel, France/England
The Channel Tunnel is a 31.4 miles (50.5 kilometers) undersea tunnel that connects Folkestone, in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, in Northern France. The tunnel reaches up to 250 ft (75 meters) deep, and seven years after its opening it still possesses the largest underwater portion of any tunnel in the world: 23.5 miles (37.9 kilometers). It is now used by high-speed Eurostar passenger trains, Eurotunnel Shuttle vehicle transport and freight trains. The tunnel consists of three bores: two -
The Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia
This is the longest railway in the world, connecting Moscow with Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, at the Sea of Japan. It was built in record time from 1891 to 1916, under the rule of Tsar Nicholas II. The Trans-Siberian Railway is 5,753 miles (9,259 kilometers) long, spanning over seven time zones. A train trip from Moscow to Vladivostok now takes eight days to complete. The design of the route took ten years, since this railway was vital for Siberia’s economical development. Still, the -
Great Pyramid of Giza Egypt
4500 years old The Great Pyramid, the complex’s largest structure, is 756 feet long and 450 feet high. For three millenniums, it was the highest structure in the world. 2,300,000 blocks of stone, each averaging 2 ½ tons in weight were used to rais
