The CN Tower or Canadian National Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing 553.33 metres (1,815.4 ft) tall, it is the world’s 5th tallest free-standing structure. It remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, a signature icon of Toronto’s skyline, and a symbol of Canada, attracting more than two million international visitors annually.
Photo – Wikimedia
Another tall structure, the Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City, United States. It remained the world’s tallest building for almost 40 years, from its completion in 1931 to 1972, when the north tower of the World Trade Center was completed and took its place as the world tallest building.
Photo – Wikimedia
Photo – guardian.co.uk / Wikimedia
The Channel Tunnel also called the Euro Tunnel is a rail link under the English Channel between Cheriton near Folkestone, Kent, and Coquelles near Calais. The Channel Tunnel is 50 km (31 mi) long, out of which 39 km (24 mi) are underwater; it comprises two railway tunnels and a service tunnel. The tunnel is one of the greatest civil engineering projects of the 20th century and sees about 600 trains pass each direction every day.
Photo – panama-guide.com
The Panama Canal is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Construction of the canal was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken. The 50 miles long (80 km) international waterway known as the Panama Canal allows ships to pass between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean, saving about 8000 miles (12,875 km) from a journey around the southern tip of South America.
The Eiffel Tower, or “La Dame de Fer” (the iron lady) is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. The tower is the tallest building in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world. The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, and was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair.
Photo – historyking.com
Photo – famouswonders.com
Rio de Janeiro Harbour is located on the south-western shore of Guanabara Bay, which is surrounded by the city of Rio along a strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains: Sugar Loaf Mt, Corcovado Peak, and the hills of Tijuca. The geology of this amazing place is admired by people who said: “God made the world in six days and on the seventh, he concentrated on Rio”.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa a.k.a Tower of Pisa is a free standing bell tower in the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. The top of the Leaning Tower can be reached by mounting the 294 steps which rise in the form of a spiral on the inner side of the tower walls. A popular tourist activity is to pose for photographs while pretending to “hold up” the leaning tower and preventing it from falling.
Photo – destination360.com
Photo – Wikimedia
Mount Everest a.k.a Chomolungma (in Tibetan) is the world’s highest mountain, with a peak at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level. It attracts many well-experienced mountaineers as well as novice climbers willing to hire professional guides.
An awe-inspiring view, The Grand Canyon is a colourful, steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in northern Arizona, United States. It is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide. Aside from casual sightseeing from the South Rim (averaging 7,000 feet [2,100 m] above sea level), rafting, hiking, running and helicopter tours are especially popular.
Photo – Wikimedia
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most renowned symbols of American freedom. It is located on Liberty Island in the middle of the Hudson River in New York City Harbor. The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. The statue is an icon of freedom and a widely recognized symbol of the United States.
Photo – Wikimedia
Photo – sacred-destinations.com
If you’ve read our article on the 25 most remote places in the world then you know about the Moai. Created by the early Rapanui people between the years 1250 and 1500, they are monolithic human figures carved from rock on Easter Island, one of the most remote places in the world. Though Moai are whole-body statues, they are commonly referred to as “Easter Island heads”. It is also a popular World Heritage Site.
Photo – britannica.com
Hagia Sophia is an architectural beauty and an important monument both to the Byzantine and the Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, it has always been a symbol of its time. The city of Istanbul today carries the characteristics of these two different cultures and surely Hagia Sophia is a perfect synthesis where one can observe both Ottoman and Byzantium effects under one great dome.
Photo – pulsarwallpapers.com
The Acropolis is the one historical site you can’t miss. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification. The building on the top is known as Parthenon. Built in 438BC, it is temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena.
Photo – Wikimedia
The Roman Colosseum a.k.a the Flavian Amphitheatre is one of Rome’s most famous buildings and enduring monuments to the culture of the ancient Romans. The Colosseum was the Roman Empire’s primary stage for gladiatorial combat for nearly 4 centuries. It is one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit “Way of the Cross” procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.
Photo – Wikimedia
The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as “the jewel of Muslim art in India” and one of the most universally admired masterpieces of world heritage. It was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian influences.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were considered to be one of the greatest Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one of the Wonders which may in fact have been legendary. They were purportedly built in the ancient city-state of Babylon, near present-day Al Hillah, Babil, in Iraq. Some stories indicate the Hanging Gardens towered hundreds of feet into the air, but archaeological explorations indicate a more modest, but still impressive, height.
Photo – Flickr(elel_442)
Photo – Wikimedia
Deep within the jungles of Mexico lie the mysterious temples and pyramids of the Maya, known as “Chich’en Itza” meaning “At the mouth of the well of the Itza.”. Chichen Itza, is the second-most visited of Mexico’s archaeological sites. The archaeological site draws many visitors from the popular tourist resort of Cancún, who make a day trip on tour buses.
Photo – Wikimedia
Stonehenge is located in the English county of Wiltshire, United Kingdom. It is surely Britain’s greatest national icons, symbolizing mystery, power and endurance. Its original purpose is unclear to us, but some have speculated that it was a temple made for the worship of ancient earth deities. Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks.
Photo – Wikimedia
Lying at the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong in Chinese, was the imperial palace for twenty-four emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Forbidden City got its name because it was forbidden to enter without the special permission of the emperor. Nowadays, it is open to tourists from home and abroad.
This wonder of the ancient World was located in the island of Pharos just off the coast of the city of Alexandria in Egypt. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was active for 15 centuries and it was the last of the six lost wonders of the ancient world to disappear. With a height estimated to be somewhere between 393 and 450 ft (120 and 140 m), it was for many centuries among the tallest man made structures on Earth.
Photo – Wikimedia
Photo – Wikimedia
Machu Picchu, often referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas”, is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Tours to the internationally recognized archaeological site of Machu Picchu provide visitors with incredible insight into the lives and practices of the ancient Incan civilization.
Photo – wikimedia
Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A symbol of Brazilian hospitality, the statue has become an icon for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It is considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall and 30 metres (98 ft) wide.
Petra, the world wonder, is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago. The entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over 1km in length. Petra has been featured in famous movies like “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” in 1989 and the “Tranformers: The revenge of the fallen” in 2009.
Photo – Flickr(Nader j)
Photo – Wikimedia
Although it has been proven a myth as you may have read in our article 25 Popular Myths Debunked, for many years people believed the Great Wall was the only man made structure visible from space. It is easy to see why as it winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 8,851.8 kilometers. The Great Wall occupies a significant place in Chinese culture. It has long been incorporated into Chinese mythology and symbolism, and is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world.
Photo – Wikimedia
It is 4,500 years old, 450 feet high and is composed of 2,300,000 blocks of stone, It is the only one of the famous”Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” that still stands. It is “The Great Pyramid of Khufu”, at Giza, Egypt. The Great Pyramid is probably the most famous and oldest tourist attraction on earth.
Wheres the Golden gate bridge
nice places…wanna go and visit-
very beautiful photos
Mount Everest a.k.a Chomolungma (in Tibetan)………plz refer as a.k.a Sagarmatha coz its the native name …
i don’t understand why two wonders which no longer exist are on the list. why not just put all of the ancient wonders on there then? why not include the library of alexandria then? it’s a decent list, minus the two wonders that you can’t see anymore.
Christ the redeemer at number 3. Did you just pick these out at random. The Pharos for one is one of the most amazing achievements man kind has ever accomplished. and it was thousands of years ago. I semi-respect these type of lists but I just ask that if you are going to pick them seemingly at random say so. Or just don’t make them a countdown list,
n 2 save u the bother, i take nothing away from the 24.
taj mahal should b 1. n some1 disagree.