GREAT WALL OF CHINA- UNESCO HERITAGE SITE
- World Most
- Guinness Book of World Record holder
- World / Country / City Famous landmark
Sender:
Thank you Victoria Jane of Malaysia
Date Received: Oct. 10, 2013
General information Type: Fortification Country: China Construction started: 7th century BC Technical details Size: 21,196 km (13,171 mi)
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Official name: The Great Wall Type: Cultural Criteria: i, ii, iii, iv, vi
Designated: 1987 (11th session) Reference No.: 438 State Party: China Region: Asia-Pacific
Great Wall of China Literal meaning.... long fortres
The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China in part to protect the Chinese Empire or its prototypical states against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC; these, later joined together and made bigger and stronger, are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; the majority of the existing wall was reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty.
The Great Wall of China is the longest in the world and has a main-line length of 3460km 2150miles - nearly three times the length of Britain - plus 3530 km 2195 miles of branches and spurs. Construction of the wall began during the reign of Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang (220-206BC). Its height varies from 4.5 to 12m 15 to 39ft and it is up to 9.8m 32ft thick. It runs from Shanhaiguan, on the Gulf of Bohai, to Yumenguan and Yangguan and was kept in repair up to the 16th century. Some 51.5km 32miles of the wall have been destroyed since 1966, and part of the wall was blown up to make way for a dam in July 1979.
The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the Ming walls measure 8,850 km (5,500 mi). This is made up of 6,259 km (3,889 mi) sections of actual wall, 359 km (223 mi) of trenches and 2,232 km (1,387 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers.
Another archaeological survey found that the entire wall with all of its branches measure out to be 21,196 km (13,171 mi).
