You are on page 1of 169

www.mrobroin.

com
www.mrobroin.com

TheSevenWondersoftheAncientWorldwasalistofremarkableconstructionsofancienttimes.
Althoughthelist,initscurrentform,didnotstabiliseuntiltheRenaissance,
thefirstofsuchlistsofsevenwondersdatefromthe1st-2ndcenturyBC.
OftheoriginalSevenWonders,onlyone,theGreatPyramidofGiza,theoldestoftheancientwonders,
remainsrelativelyintact.TheTempleofArtemis,theStatueofZeusatOlympia,theMausoleumat
Halicarnassus,theColossusofRhodesandtheLighthouseofAlexandriawerealldestroyed.Thelocationand
ultimatefateoftheHangingGardensareunknown,withspeculationthattheymaynothaveexistedatall.
www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

7 Ancient Wonders of the World


www.mrobroin.com

1.

2.
Red dates indicate that
the site lay in ruins.
3.

4.

5.

6.

7.
www.mrobroin.com

TheGreatPyramidofGiza
The Great Pyramid (alsoknownasthePyramidofKhufu
of Giza orthePyramidofCheops).

Itistheoldestofthe
SevenWondersofthe
AncientWorld,andthe
ItwastheWorld's
onlyonetoremain
TallestStructurefrom
largelyintact.
c.2570BC-1300AD.
www.mrobroin.com

Initiallyat146.5metres(481feet),theGreatPyramidwasthetallestman-made
structureintheworldformorethan3,800years,from2570BC-1300AD.

Originally,theGreatPyramidwascovered
bycasingstonesthatformedasmooth
outersurface;whatisseentodayisthe
underlyingcorestructure.
www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

The Mausoleum at
Halicarnassus
TheMausoleumatHalicarnassus
wasatombbuiltbetween
353-350BCatHalicarnassus
(presentBodrum,Turkey)
forMausolus,agovernorin
thePersianEmpire,andhis
sister-wifeArtemisiaIIofCaria.

TheMausoleumwasapproximately
45m(148ft)inheight.
www.mrobroin.com

WeknowverylittleaboutMausoluslifebut
hisfamehasenduredthroughthecenturies.
Hisburialplacewassomagnificent
thatwenowusehisnametodescribe
anygrandtomb:amausoleum.
www.mrobroin.com

The Colossus of Rhodes


TheColossusofRhodeswasastatueoftheGreektitan-
godofthesunHelios,whichoverlookedtheharbouron
theGreekislandofRhodesc.290BC.Itwasconstructed
tocelebrateRhodes'victoryovertherulerofCyprus.

Accordingtomostcontemporary
descriptions,theColossusstood
approximately33mtall.Itwas
theapproximateheightofthe
StatueofLibertyfromfeetto
crown,andwasthetalleststatue
oftheancientworld.

TheStatueofLibertyinNewYork,
isbasedon19th-centuryideasof
whattheColossuslookedlike.
www.mrobroin.com

Thestatuestoodforjustashort
periodoftimebeforeitwastoppled Itwassaidthatfewpeoplecould
byanearthquakein226BC. wraptheirarmsaroundthefallen
thumbandthateachofitsfingers
Theremainslayonthegroundfor waslargerthanmoststatues.
over800years,andevenbroken,
theyweresoimpressivethatmany
travelledtoseethem.
www.mrobroin.com

Asof2015,thereareplanstobuilda
newColossusatRhodesHarbour,
althoughtheactuallocationofthe
originalremainsindispute.
www.mrobroin.com

The Statue of Zeus at


Olympia
TheStatueofZeusatOlympiawasagiantseated
figure,about13m(43ft)tall,erectedinthe
TempleofZeusatOlympia,Greecein435BC.

Itwasasculptureofivoryplatesandgoldpanels
overawoodenframework,itrepresentedthe
godZeussittingonanelaboratecedarwood
throneornamentedwithebony,ivory,goldand
variouspreciousstones.
The statue was lost in
the 5th century,
most likely by fire.

www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

TheeccentricRomanemperor
Caligulawantedtohavethestatue
broughttoRomesohecould
replacethegodsheadwitha
sculptureofhisown.

Accordingtolegend,whenthe
emperorsmenwenttocarryout
thistask,thestatuelaughedso
loudlythattheirscaffolding
collapsedandtheworkersfled.
www.mrobroin.com

The Lighthouse of
Alexandria
TheLighthouseofAlexandria
(sometimesknownasPharosofAlexandria)
wasbuiltbyontheislandofPharos
atAlexandriainEgypt,between280-247BC.
Itwasbetween120-137m(394-449ft)tall.
www.mrobroin.com

Badlydamagedbythree
earthquakesbetween Itwasthethirdlongest
AD956and1323,itthen survivingancientwonder
becameanabandoned (aftertheMausoleumat
ruin. Halicarnassusandthe
GreatPyramidofGiza)
until1480,whenthelastof
itsremnantstoneswere
usedtobuildaCitadel.
www.mrobroin.com

Thiswonderwassocelebratedinthe
Thelightwasproducedby ancientworldthatpharosbecame
afurnaceatthetop. theGreekwordforlighthouse,
aswellasinmanyotherlanguages.

In1994,Frencharchaeologistsdiscoveredsome
remainsofthelighthouseonthefloorof
Alexandria'sHarbour.TheMinistryofStateof
AntiquitiesinEgypthasplanned,asoflate2015,
toturnsubmergedruinsofancientAlexandria
intoanunderwatermuseum.
www.mrobroin.com

The Temple of Artemis


TheTempleofArtemiswaslocatedinEphesus,
whichisinmodern-dayTurkey.
www.mrobroin.com

Firstbuiltin550BC,itwascompletelyrebuiltthreetimesbefore
itsfinaldestructionin401AD.Onlyfoundationsandsculptural
fragmentsofthelatestofthetemplesatthesiteremain.

ReconstructionoftheTemple.
www.mrobroin.com

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon


Theyweresaidtohavebeenbuiltintheancientcity
ofBabylonbyKingNebuchadnezzarII,
whoruledbetween605and562BC.
Accordingtolegend,NebuchadnezzarIIbuiltthe
HangingGardensforhiswife,QueenAmytis,because
shemissedthegreenhillsandvalleysofherhomeland.

www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

Becausenophysicalevidence
fortheHangingGardenshasbe
foundatBabylonithasbeen
suggestedthattheywerepurely
mythical,andthatitmayhave
representedaromanticidealof
aneasterngarden.

Ifitdidindeedexist,itwasdestroyed
sometimeafterthefirstcenturyAD.
www.mrobroin.com

Facts
www.mrobroin.com

Montage of the
Seven Wonders
www.mrobroin.com
In2007,anonlineand
telephonevotewasusedto
compilealistofthe

www.mrobroin.com
Christ the Redeemer, Colosseum,
Brazil Chichen Itza,
Italy Mexico

Great Wall
of China
Taj Mahal,
India Petra,
Jordan
Machu Picchu,
Peru

New 7 Wonders of the World www.mrobroin.com


www.mrobroin.com
TheTajMahal
Itwascommissionedin1632
(meaningCrownofthePalace) bytheMughalemperor,
isanivory-whitemarblemausoleum ShahJahan(reigned16281658),
intheIndiancityofAgra. tohousethetombofhisfavouritewife,
MumtazMahal.
Itrequiredmorethan Therewerealsoabout
20,000labourers 1000elephantsusedto
andwouldhavecostover transportthematerials
$800mintodaysmoney. neededforconstruction.

www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

TheColosseumalsoknownastheFlavianAmphitheatre
isthelargestamphitheatreeverbuilt.
ItstandsinthecityofRomeinItaly,
andissituatedjusteastoftheRomanForum.
ConstructionbeganundertheemperorVespasianin72AD,
andwascompletedin80ADunderhissuccessorandheirTitus.
www.mrobroin.com
ThenameColosseumcomesfromacolossalstatueofNeronearby
(whichwasnamedaftertheColossusofRhodes).
TheColosseumcouldhold
between50,000and80,000
spectators,havinganaverage
audienceofsome65,000;itwas
usedforgladiatorialcontests.

TheRomanshadtheearliest
formofaSkydome.Ifitrained,
theystretchedaredcanvas
overtheentireColosseum.

ThemarblefromtheexteriorwallsoftheColosseumwas
removedmanyyearsagoandwasreusedformanyother
buildingsincludingSt.PetersBasilicainVaticanCity.
www.mrobroin.com

ChristtheRedeemerisanArtDecostatue
ofJesusChristinRiodeJaneiro,Brazil.
Itwasconstructedbetween1922-1931.

Thestatueis30mtall,
notincludingits8mpedestal,
anditsarmsstretch28mwide.
www.mrobroin.com
Itislocatedatthepeakofthe700mtallCorcovadomountain(meaninghunchback)
intheTijucaForestNationalParkoverlookingthecityofRio.

Thecostin1931wasabout$250,000.
Todaythatwouldroughlybethe
equivalentof$3.2m.
www.mrobroin.com

Chichen Itza was a large city built by the Maya people


in approximately 600AD in Mexico.

ElCastillo,alsoknownasthe ChichenItzameansatthe
TempleofKukulcan, mouthofthewelloftheItza'.
isaMesoamericanstep-pyramidthat
dominatesthecentreoftheChichenItza.
www.mrobroin.com

ItwasoneofthelargestMayacitiesandcovered5km2.

ThestructureofElCastillois24m(79ft)high,
plusanadditional6m(20ft)forthetemple.

ElCastillohas365stepstothetop,
oneforeverydayoftheyear.

Approximately1.2million
peoplevisittheruinsof
ChichenItzaeveryyear.
TheGreatWallofChinaisaseriesoffortificationsmadeofstone,brick,tampedearth,
wood,andothermaterials,generallybuiltalongthehistoricalnorthernbordersof
ChinatoprotecttheChinesestatesandempiresagainstraidsandinvasions.

www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

Severalwallswerebeingbuiltasearlyasthe7thcenturyBCandwerelaterjoinedtogether
andmadebiggerandstronger,arenowcollectivelyreferredtoastheGreatWall.

Contrarytopopularbelief,
theGreatWallcannotbe
seenfromSpace.
www.mrobroin.com

MachuPicchuisa15th-century
IncacitadelinPeru,
situatedonamountainridge
MachuPicchu
2,430m(7,970ft)abovesealevel.
meansoldpeak.
Itisthemostfamiliaricon
oftheIncacivilization.
www.mrobroin.com

ItislocatedontheeasternAndesmountainslopesinatropicalmountainforest.
Thereareterracesandwallsthatlookasiftheywerecutfromtherock.

Inanefforttoreducethenumberoftouriststo
thesite,therearenowrulesastohowmany
peoplecanvisitMachuPicchuinaday.
www.mrobroin.com

PetraisahistoricalandarchaeologicalcityinJordan.
Thecityisfamousforitsrock-cutarchitecture
andwaterconduitsystem.
Anearthquakein363ADdestroyed
manyofthebuildingsinPetraand
italsodidmajordamagetothe
watersystem.
PetraistheGreek
wordforrock.
www.mrobroin.com

PetraisalsoknownastheRoseCityduetothe
colourofthestoneoutofwhichitiscarved.

Thecitywasestablishedin
312BC,andisJordansmost
visitedtouristattraction.

Thereareapproximately
800structuresinPetra.
Themostfamousis
TheTreasury.
www.mrobroin.com

Other World Landmarks


Acropolis, Athens, Greece Thewordacropoliscomesfromthe
Greekwordsakronmeaninghighest
pointandpolismeaningcity.

www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

Acropolis, Athens, Greece TheParthenonisatemplebuiltbetween


447-438BCandwasdedicatedtoAthena,
theGoddessofwisdom,craft,andwar.
www.mrobroin.com

Angkor Wat, Cambodia


AngkorWatmeaningCapitalTempleis
atemplecomplexinCambodiaandthe
largestreligiousmonumentintheworld,
withthesitemeasuring1,626,000m2.
IthasbecomeasymbolofCambodia,
andfeaturesontheirnationalflag.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Itwasoriginallyconstructedinthe
early12thcenturyas
aHindutempleofgodVishnu,
graduallytransforminginto
aBuddhisttempletowardtheend
ofthe12thcentury.

www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

Itwasconstructedfrom18871889asthe
entrancetothe1889World'sFair,isnamed
aftertheengineerGustaveEiffel,whose
companydesignedandbuiltthetower.
Thetoweris324mtall,
aboutthesameheight
asan81-storeybuilding.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France


www.mrobroin.com

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France


TheEiffelToweristhemost-visitedpaid TheEiffelTowerismadeofironandweighs
monumentintheworld. around10000tonnes.Around50tonnesofpaint
6.91millionpeopleascendeditin2015. areaddedtotheEiffelTowerevery7yearsto
protectitfromrust.
www.mrobroin.com

HagiaSophiawasaGreekOrthodoxChristianbasilica,
Hagia Sophia, lateranimperialmosque,andnowamuseum.
Itwasbuiltfrom532-537AD.

Istanbul, Turkey
www.mrobroin.com

Tostrengthenandbeautifythe
Hagia Sophia, interiorofthechurch,columnsfrom
thelong-abandonedanddestroyed
Istanbul, Turkey TempleofArtemisinEphesus
wereusedfortheHagiaSophia.
www.mrobroin.com

Moai,
Easter Island

Moai, are monolithic human figures


carved by the Rapa Nui people on
Easter Island in eastern Polynesia
between the years 1250 and 1500 AD.
www.mrobroin.com

Moai,
TheseEasterIslandheadsalso
havebodiesandnearlyallare
Easter Island
carvedfromvolcanicrock.
www.mrobroin.com

Neuschwanstein Castle,
Germany SchlossNeuschwanstein
meaningNewSwanstoneCastleisa
19thcenturyRomanesqueRevival
palaceonaruggedhillin
southwestBavaria,Germany.
www.mrobroin.com

Neuschwanstein Castle,
Itservedastheinspiration
forDisneyland's
Germany
SleepingBeautyCastle.
www.mrobroin.com

St. Basils Cathedral,


Red Square, Moscow,
Russia
Itwasbuiltfrom
1555-1561AD
onordersfrom
IvantheTerrible.
www.mrobroin.com

St. Basils Cathedral,


Red Square, Moscow,
Russia

Thebuildingisshaped
asaflameofabonfire
risingintothesky.
StatueofLibertyisacolossal
neoclassicalsculptureonLiberty
IslandinNewYorkHarbour.

Statue of Liberty, New York, USA www.mrobroin.com


www.mrobroin.com

ItwasdesignedbyFrenchsculptor
FrdricAugusteBartholdi,andwasbuilt
Thecopperstatueis46mtall,
byGustaveEiffelanddedicatedon
andtheheightofthetorch
October28,1886.Itwasagifttothe
fromthegroundis93m.
UnitedStatesfromthepeopleofFrance.

Statue of Liberty, New York, USA


www.mrobroin.com

Stonehengeisaprehistoricmonument
whicharchaeologistsbelievewas
constructedfrom3000BCto2000BC.

Stonehenge, Southern England


AmongtheremainingriddlesaboutStonehengeishowitsbuilders,whohadonlyprimitivetools,managedtohaulall
themassivestonestothesite.Thelargestones,whicheachweighanaverageof25tons,arethoughttohavebeen
broughttothesitefromabout20milestothenorth.Thebluestones,whichweighbetween2tonsto5tons,were
transportedtoStonehengefromthePreseliHillsareainWestWales,adistanceofmorethan150miles.

Stonehenge, Southern England


www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

Sydney Opera House, Australia


DesignedbyDanisharchitectJrnUtzon,
thebuildingwasbuiltbetween1959-1973.
www.mrobroin.com

Sydney Opera House, Australia


Itwasthewinningdesignofthe233entrantsinthedesigncompetitionheldin1956.
www.mrobroin.com

Golden Gate Bridge,


San Francisco, USA

TheGoldenGateBridgeisasuspension
bridgespanningtheGoldenGatestrait,
whichisthechannelbetween
SanFranciscoBayandthePacificOcean.

Itwasconstructedbetween1933-1937
andwas,until1964,thelongestsuspensionbridge
mainspanintheworld,at1,300m(4,200feet).
www.mrobroin.com

Thebridgeispaintedinternationalorange
toensureitsvisibilitytopassingships.

Fogisacommonweatherphenomenon Golden Gate Bridge,


intheSanFranciscoBayArea,
anditoftencoverstheGoldenGateBridge. San Francisco, USA
www.mrobroin.com

Leaning Tower of Pisa,


Italy
Itisthecampanile,
orfreestandingbelltower,
ofthecathedralofPisa,
knownworldwide
foritsunintendedtilt.
www.mrobroin.com

Leaning Tower of
Pisa, Italy
Thetower'stiltbeganduring
construction,causedbyapoor
foundationongroundtoosoftonone
sidetoproperlysupportthetower.

Thetiltincreasedinevenbeforethe
structurewascompleted,andgradually
increaseduntilitwasstabilized(and
In1589,theItalianscientist
thetiltpartiallycorrected)byeffortsin
GalileoGalileiissaidtohave
thelate20thandearly21stcenturies.
droppedtwospheresofdifferent
massesfromtheLeaningTowerof
Pisatodemonstratethatobjects
fallatthesamespeedregardlessof
howmuchtheyweigh.
www.mrobroin.com

The Little Mermaid, TheLittleMermaidisabronze


statuebyEdvardEriksen.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Itisjust1.25m(4.1ft)tall.
www.mrobroin.com

The Little Mermaid,


Copenhagen, Denmark

Based on the fairy tale by Danish author


Hans Christian Andersen, the small and
unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and
has been a major tourist attraction since 1913.
www.mrobroin.com

The Great Sphinx,


Giza, Egypt
TheSphinxisalimestonestatueofarecliningsphinx,
amythicalcreaturewiththebodyofalionandthe
headofahuman.ThefaceoftheSphinxisgenerally
believedtorepresentthePharaohKhafre.
www.mrobroin.com

The Great Sphinx, Itistheoldestknownmonumental


sculptureinEgyptandisbelievedto
Giza, Egypt havebeenbuiltbyancientEgyptians
between25582532BC.

Itmeasures73m(238feet)long,
anditiscarvedfromthebedrock,
meaningitisonesinglestone.
www.mrobroin.com

ItwasdesignedbyNicolaSalvi
andwasbuiltbetween1732-1762.

Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy


www.mrobroin.com

Legendhasitthatthethrowingofa
coinfromtherighthandoverthe
leftshoulderwillensurethatyouwill
returntoRomeinthefuture.

Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy


www.mrobroin.com

Louvre Museum, Paris, France

TheLouvreMuseumistheworld'slargestmuseum,andwasopenedin1793.
ItishousedintheLouvrePalace,originallyafortressbuiltinthemedievalperiodbyKingPhilipII.
www.mrobroin.com

Louvre Museum, Paris, France

Nearly35,000objectsfromprehistorytothe21stcenturyareexhibitedintheLouvre,
includingtheMonaLisabyLeonardoDaVinci,whichhasbeenonpermanentdisplayheresince1797.
MannekenPismeaning
littlemanpeeisa
Thefigurehasbeenrepeatedly
smallbronzesculpture
stolen,andthecurrentstatue
measuring61cm.
datesfrom1965.
Itwasdesignedby
Theoriginalrestoredversioniskept
HironymusDuquesnoy
attheMaisonduRoi/Broodhuison
theElderandputin
theGrandPlace.
placein1618or1619.

Manneken Pis, Brussels, Belgium


www.mrobroin.com
Thereareseverallegendsbehind
thisstatue,butthemostfamousis
theoneaboutDukeGodfreyIIIof
Leuven.In1142,thetroopsofthis
two-year-oldlordwerebattling
againstthetroopsofthe
Berthouts.

Thetroopsputtheinfantlordina
basketandhungthebasketina
Thestatueisdressedin treetoencouragethem.From
variousdifferentcostumes there,theboyurinatedonthe
severaltimeseachweek. troopsoftheBerthouts,who
eventuallylostthebattle.

Manneken Pis, Brussels, Belgium


www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

Mont Saint-Michel,
Normandy, France
Itisanislandcommunein
Normandy,France.Itislocated
Asof2009,theisland about1kmoffthecountry's
hasapopulationof44. northwesterncoast.
www.mrobroin.com

Mont Saint-Michel, TheoriginalsitewasfoundedbyanIrishhermitwho


Normandy, France gatheredafollowingfromthelocalcommunity.

Accordingtolegend,thearchangelMichael
appearedin708ADtothebishopofAvranches,
andinstructedhimtobuildachurch
ontherockyislet.
www.mrobroin.com

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


Ataheightof452m,
theywerethetallestbuildings
intheworldfrom1998to
2004andremainthetallest
twintowersintheworld.
www.mrobroin.com

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


Thetowersfeatureadouble-deckerskybridge
connectingthetwotowersonthe41st/42ndfloors,
whichisthehighest2-storybridgeintheworld.

PetronasisshortforPetroliamNasionalBerhad,
whichisthenationaloil-companyofMalaysia.
www.mrobroin.com

Mount Rushmore,
South Dakota, USA
MountRushmoreNationalMemorialisasculpture
carvedintothegranitefaceofMountRushmore
intheBlackHillsofSouthDakota.
www.mrobroin.com

Mount Rushmore,
South Dakota, USA
ItwassculptedbyGutzonBorglumandhisson
LincolnBorglum,andfeatures18m(60-foot)
sculpturesoftheheadsof
fourUSPresidents.

George Washington (17321799)


Thomas Jefferson (17431826)
Theodore Roosevelt (18581919)
Abraham Lincoln (18091865)
www.mrobroin.com

TheBrandenburgGatewasbuilt Itfeaturesaquadriga,whichis
Between1788-1791. achariotdrawnbyfourhorsesabreast.

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany


www.mrobroin.com

Duringthepost-warPartitionofGermany, Thegatesufferedconsiderabledamage
thegatewasisolatedandinaccessible inWorldWarII,theBrandenburgGate
immediatelynexttotheBerlinWall. wasrestoredfrom2000to2002.

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany


www.mrobroin.com

The Great Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia

ItisthelargestmosqueintheworldandisinthecityofMecca,SaudiArabia.Thestructurecoversanarea
of356,800m2(88.2acres)includingtheoutdoorandindoorprayingspacesandisopenatalltimes.
www.mrobroin.com

The Great Mosque of AsthebirthplaceofMuhammad,Meccaisregardedas

Mecca, Saudi Arabia theholiestcityinthereligionofIslamandapilgrimageto


itknownastheHajjisobligatoryforallableMuslims.
www.mrobroin.com

St.PetersBasilicaisthemainchurchinVaticanCity,
whichwasbuiltbetween1506-1626,
anddesignedbymanyRenaissancearchitects
includingCarloMadernoandMichelangelo.

St. Peters Basilica, Vatican City


www.mrobroin.com

St. Peters Basilica,


Vatican City
CatholictraditionholdsthattheBasilicaisbuilton
theburialsiteofSt.Peter,oneofChrists12Apostles
andalsothefirstPope,whosetombisdirectlybelow
thehighaltaroftheBasilica.
www.mrobroin.com

TheAtomiumwasoriginallyconstructedfor
Expo58,the1958BrusselsWorldsFair.

Itstands102m
(335ft)tall.

The Atomium, Brussels, Belgium


www.mrobroin.com

Itsnine18m(60ft)diameterstainless
The Atomium, steelcladspheresareconnectedso
thatthewholeconstructionformsthe
Brussels, Belgium shapeofaunitcellofanironcrystal
magnified165billiontimes.
www.mrobroin.com

Newgrange, Co. Meath, Ireland


Newgrange(SanBhr)isaprehistoricmonumentinCountyMeath.
ItwasbuiltduringtheNeolithicperiodaround3200BC,
makingitolderthanStonehengeandtheEgyptianpyramids.
www.mrobroin.com

Newgrange, Co. Meath, Ireland

Itisalignedwiththerisingsunandits
lightfloodstheinnerchamberon
thewintersolstice,December21st.
www.mrobroin.com

Big Ben, Palace of Westminster,


London, England
BigBenisthenicknamefortheGreatBelloftheclockatthe
northendofthePalaceofWestminsterinLondon,and
oftenextendedtorefertotheclockandtheclocktower.
www.mrobroin.com

Big Ben, Palace of Westminster,


London, England
ThetowerisofficiallyknownasElizabethTower,
renamedtocelebratetheDiamondJubilee
ofQueenElizabethIIin2012.
www.mrobroin.com

Burj Khalifa, TheBurjKhalifaisaskyscraperlocatedinthe


UnitedArabEmirates.
Dubai, UAE Ithasaroofheightof828m(2,717ft),andwith
itsantennaincluded,itstandsatotalheightof
829.8m(2,722ft),makingitthetallest
buildingandthetalleststructureintheworld.
www.mrobroin.com

Burj Khalifa,
Dubai, UAE Ithas163floorsandofficiallyopenedin2010.
www.mrobroin.com

BranCastle,whichwascompletedin Bran Castle,


1382,iscommonlyknownasDracula's
Castleanditisthehomeofthetitle Transylvania, Romania
characterinBramStoker'sDracula.
www.mrobroin.com

Bran Castle,
Vladepe,aWallachianrulerknown
asVladtheImpaler,wasthe Transylvania, Romania
inspirationforBramStokersDracula.

Thecastleismarketedas
DraculasCastle,butinreality,
Vladepeonlyspenttwomonths
inholdingatthecastle.
www.mrobroin.com

The Lotus Temple,


TheLotusTempleisa
Bah'HouseofWorship
New Delhi, India
completedin1986.
www.mrobroin.com

Thetempleisvisitedbymore The Lotus Temple,


than4mpeopleeveryyear
withanaverageofmore New Delhi, India
than10,000visitorsdaily.
www.mrobroin.com

The Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, USA

Thesignwasinstalledin1923andhadwooden
letters.Itbecameverydilapidated,andwas
restoredin1978withnewsteellettersthatare
45feet(13.7m)tallandrangedfrom31to39
feet(9.4to11.9m)wide.
The Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, USA

ItoriginallyreadHOLLYWOODLAND,and
itspurposewastoadvertiseanewhousing
developmentinthehillsabovethe
HollywooddistrictofLosAngeles.
www.mrobroin.com
Forbidden City, Beijing, China
TheForbiddenCitywastheChineseimperialpalacefromthe
MingdynastytotheendoftheQingdynasty(1420-1912).

www.mrobroin.com
Forbidden City, Beijing, China
Itwasconstructedfrom1406-1420andconsistsof980buildings.
Itservedasthehomeoftheemperorsfornearly500years.

www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

TowerBridgeisacombined
bascule(drawbridge)andsuspensionbridge
inLondonbuiltin18861894.

Tower Bridge, London, England


www.mrobroin.com

ThebridgecrossestheRiverThames
closetotheTowerofLondon.

Tower Bridge, London, England


ThePantheonwasbuiltasatempletoalltheRoman
godsbytheRomanStatesmanMarcusAgrippa,
Pantheon, andrebuiltbytheEmperorHadrianin126AD.

Rome, Italy
Thedomehasacircularhole
calledanOculus(eye)
whichletsthesunlightin.

www.mrobroin.com
ThePantheonistheoldeststanding
Pantheon, buildingonEarthstillindailyuse.

Rome, Italy

www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

Tigers Nest
Monastery,
Bhutan
Thismonasteryisa
culturaliconofBhutan,a
countrylocatedentirely
withintheHimalaya
mountainrange.
www.mrobroin.com

Tigers Nest
Monastery,
Bhutan

Thetemplewasbuiltin1692,aroundthecavewhere
theBuddhistMasterGuruPadmasambhavaissaidto
havemeditatedforthreeyears,threemonths,three
weeks,threedaysandthreehoursinthe8thcentury.
CN Tower, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
CNTowerisa553.3mhighconcretecommunicationsand
observationtowerindowntownToronto.CNstandsforCanadian
National,therailwaycompanythatbuiltthetower.

www.mrobroin.com
CN Tower, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
Whenitwascompletedin1976,itwastheworld's
tallestfree-standingstructureandworld'stallesttower.
Itheldbothrecordsfor34yearsuntilthecompletion
ofBurjKhalifaandCantonTowerin2010.

www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

Arc De Triomphe, Paris, France


Thearchwas
commissionedin1806
byEmperorNapoleon.
www.mrobroin.com

Arc De Triomphe, Paris, France


Itstandsatthewesternendof
theChamps-lysesatthecentre
ofPlaceCharlesdeGaulleinParis.
www.mrobroin.com

ThePalmJumeirahisanartificialarchipelagoinUnitedArabEmirates,createdusinglandreclamation.
Constructionbeganin2001andthefirsthomesweresoldin2006.

ItisveryclosetotheBurj-alArab(Towerofthe
Arabs)Hotel,whichisitselfbuiltonanartificial
islandandwascompletedin1999.

Palm Jumeirah, Dubai,


United Arab Emirates
www.mrobroin.com

Palm Jumeriah, Dubai,


United Arab Emirates

ClosebyareTheWorldIslands,anartificial
archipelagoofvarioussmallislandsconstructedinthe
roughshapeofaworldmap,locatedinthewatersof
thePersianGulf,4km(2.5mi)offthecoastofDubai.
www.mrobroin.com

Sagrada Famlia,
Barcelona, Spain
TheBasilicaChurchoftheHolyFamily
inBarcelonawasdesignedbyCatalan
architectAntoniGaud(18521926).
www.mrobroin.com

Sagrada Famlia,
Constructionbeganin1882,
anditisstillunfinished. Barcelona, Spain
Itisanticipatedtofinishin
2026,the100thanniversary
ofGaudisdeath.
www.mrobroin.com

Natural
Wonders of
the World
www.mrobroin.com

The Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

TheGreatBarrierReefistheworld'slargestcoralreefsystem
composedofover2,900individualreefsand900islandsstretching
forover2,300km(1,400mi)overanareaofapproximately
344,400km2(133,000sqmi).ThereefislocatedintheCoralSea,
offthecoastofQueensland,Australia.
www.mrobroin.com

The Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

TheGreatBarrierReefcanbeseenfromouterspaceandistheworld'sbiggest
singlestructuremadebylivingorganisms.Thisreefstructureiscomposedofand
builtbybillionsoftinyorganisms,knownascoralpolyps.
www.mrobroin.com

The Grand Canyon, The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided


canyon carved by the Colorado River
Arizona, U.S.A. in Arizona in the United States.
www.mrobroin.com

The Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S.A.

It is 446km (277 miles) long,


up to 29km (18 miles) wide and
attains a depth of over a mile
(6,093 feet or 1,857 meters).
www.mrobroin.com

Mount Everest, Nepal


MountEverest,alsoknowninNepalasSagarmthand
inChinaasChomolungmaisEarth'shighestmountain.
Itspeakis8,848metres(29,029ft)abovesealevel.

MtEverestislocatedintheHimalayas
mountainrangeontheborder
ofNepalandTibet(China).
www.mrobroin.com

Mount Everest, Nepal


ItisnamedafterColonelSirGeorgeEverest In1953thefirstsuccessfulascenttothesummitof
(1790-1866),aWelshgeographer,andthe MtEverestwasachievedbyNewZealander
SurveyorGeneralofIndiafrom1830-1843. EdmundHillaryandNepalisherpaTenzingNorgay.
www.mrobroin.com

Aurora
Thename'Aurora'comesfromtheLatinwordforsunriseortheRomangoddessofdawn.
Anauroraisanaturallightdisplayinthesky,usuallyofgreenishcolorbutsometimesredorblue.
Thisnaturalphenomenonusuallyoccursinareasknownasthe'auroralzone'nearthepolesof
theArcticinthenorthandAntarcticinthesouth.
www.mrobroin.com

Aurora

Theeffectisknownastheauroraborealis(ortheNorthernLights)inNorthernhemispherelatitudes.
InSouthernhemispherelatitudestheeffectisknownastheauroraaustralis(ortheSouthernLights).

Auroraiscausedbythecollisionofenergeticallychargedparticleswithatoms
inthehighaltitudethermospherewithinouratmosphere.
VictoriaFallsisawaterfallin
southernAfricaonthe
ZambeziRiverattheborder
ofZambiaandZimbabwe.

Victoria Falls, Border of Zambia & Zimbabwe


www.mrobroin.com
Whileitisneitherthehighestnorthewidestwaterfallinthe
world,VictoriaFallsisclassifiedasthelargest,basedonits
combinedwidthof1,708m(5,604ft)andheightof108m
(354ft),resultingintheworld'slargestsheetoffallingwater.

Victoria Falls, Border of Zambia & Zimbabwe www.mrobroin.com


www.mrobroin.com

The Dead Sea, Border of Jordan, Israel and Palestine

TheDeadSeaisasaltlakeborderedbyJordantotheeast
andIsraelandPalestinetothewest.

Itisalmost10timesassaltyastheocean,andoneoftheworld's
saltiestbodiesofwater.Thissalinitymakesforaharshenvironmentin
whichplantsandanimalscannotflourish,henceitsname.
www.mrobroin.com

The Dead Sea, Border of Jordan, Israel and Palestine

AnyonecaneasilyfloatintheDeadSea
becauseofnaturalbuoyancy.
www.mrobroin.com
Thecliffsstretchalongthecoastlineforeightmiles(13km),andface
towardsFranceacrossthenarrowestpartoftheEnglishChannel.

White Cliffs of Dover,


England
www.mrobroin.com

Thecliffface,whichreachesupto350feet(110m),owesitsstriking
appearancetoitscompositionofchalkaccentuatedbystreaksofblackflint.

Thecliffscanbeseenfrom
France,whichisjust33km White Cliffs of Dover,
acrosstheEnglishChannel.
England
www.mrobroin.com

Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia

Uluru,alsoknownasAyersRockisalargesandstonerockformationinthesouthern
partoftheNorthernTerritoryincentralAustralia.Itlies335km(208miles)south
westofthenearestlargetown,AliceSprings,450km(280miles)byroad.
www.mrobroin.com

Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia

UluruissacredtotheAboriginalpeopleofthearea.Theareaaroundtheformation
ishometoanabundanceofsprings,waterholes,rockcavesandancientpaintings.
www.mrobroin.com

Barringer Crater, Arizona, U.S.A.


BarringerCraterisameteoriteimpactcraterinthenorthernArizonadesertoftheUnited
States.ScientistsrefertoitasBarringerCraterinhonorofDanielBarringer,whowasfirst
tosuggestthatitwasproducedbymeteoriteimpact.Thecraterisprivatelyownedbythe
Barringerfamilywhichproclaimsittobethe"bestpreservedmeteoritecrateronEarth".
www.mrobroin.com

Barringer Crater, Arizona, U.S.A.

Thecraterwascreatedabout50,000yearsago,whenthelocalclimateonthe
ColoradoPlateauwasmuchcooleranddamper.Theareawasanopengrassland
dottedwithwoodlandsinhabitedbywoollymammothsandgiantgroundsloths.
www.mrobroin.com

Mount Vesuvius, Napoli, Italy

MountVesuviusisastratovolcanolocatedontheGulfofNapoliinItaly,about
9km(5.6miles)eastofNapoliandashortdistancefromtheshore.Itisbestknownfor
itseruptioninAD79thatledtotheburyinganddestructionoftheRomancityofPompeii.
www.mrobroin.com

Mount Vesuvius, Napoli, Italy


VesuviushaseruptedmanytimessinceAD79andistheonlyvolcanoon
theEuropeanmainlandtohaveeruptedwithinthelasthundredyears.

Today,itisregardedasoneofthe
mostdangerousvolcanoesinthe
worldbecauseofthepopulationof
3,000,000peoplelivingnearby.
www.mrobroin.com

Sahara Desert, Africa

TheSahara(al-aral-kubrinArabicmeaningtheGreatestDesert)
isthelargesthotdesertintheworld,andthethirdlargestdesertintheworld
afterAntarcticaandtheArctic.
www.mrobroin.com

Sahara Desert, Africa


Thedesertcomprises
muchofNorthAfrica.

TheSaharacoverslargepartsofAlgeria,Chad,Egypt,Libya,Mali,Mauritania,Morocco,Niger,
WesternSahara,SudanandTunisia.Ithasanareaof9,200,000km2(3,600,000sqmiles),which
iscomparabletotheareaoftheUnitedStates,andamountsto31%ofAfrica.
www.mrobroin.com

SalardeUyuniistheworld'slargestsaltflat
at10,582km2(4,086sqmiles).

Naturalsaltpansorsaltflatsareflatexpansesofgroundcovered
withsaltandotherminerals,usuallyshiningwhiteundertheSun.

Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia


www.mrobroin.com

Itissometimesreferredtoas
theworldslargestmirror.
Itislocatedatanaltitudeof3,656m(11,995ft)
abovesealevelinsouthwestBolivia.

Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia


www.mrobroin.com

The Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland

TheGiant'sCausewayisanareaofabout40,000interlocking
basaltcolumns,theresultofanancientvolcaniceruption.

Thetopsofthecolumnsformsteppingstonesthat
leadfromtheclifffootanddisappearunderthesea.
Mostofthecolumnsarehexagonal,althoughthere
arealsosomewithfour,five,sevenoreightsides.
www.mrobroin.com

The Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland


Accordingtolegend,thecolumnsaretheremainsofacausewaybuiltbyagiant.ThestorygoesthattheIrishgiant
FionnmacCumhaill,waschallengedtoafightbytheScottishgiantBenandonner.Fionnacceptedthechallenge
andbuiltthecausewayacrosstheNorthChannelsothatthetwogiantscouldmeet.Inoneversionofthestory,
FionndefeatsBenandonner.InanotherFionnhidesfromBenandonnerwhenherealisesthathisfoeismuch
biggerthanhe.Fionn'swife,Oonagh,disguisesFionnasababyandtuckshiminacradle.

WhenBenandonnerseesthesizeofthe
'baby',hereckonsthatitsfather,Fionn,
mustbeagiantamonggiants.Hefleesback
toScotlandinfright,destroyingthe
causewaybehindhimsothatFionncould
notfollow.Acrossthesea,thereare
identicalbasaltcolumns(apartofthesame
ancientlavaflow)atFingal'sCaveonthe
ScottishisleofStaffa,anditispossiblethat
thestorywasinfluencedbythis.

Thetallestcolumnsareabout12m(39ft)high,andthe
solidifiedlavainthecliffsis28m(92ft)thickinplaces.
www.mrobroin.com

Grand Prismatic Spring,


Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, U.S.A.

The Grand Prismatic Spring


in Yellowstone National Park
is the largest hot spring in
the U.S.A., and the third
largest in the world.
www.mrobroin.com

Grand Prismatic Spring,


Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, U.S.A.
Thespringisapproximately110m(370feet)indiameter
andis50m(160feet)deep.Thespringdischargesan
estimated2,100litresof70C(160F)waterperminute.
www.mrobroin.com

Door to Hell, Turkmenistan

The"DoortoHell"isanaturalgasfieldinDerweze,Turkmenistan,thatcollapsedinto
anundergroundcavernin1971,becominganaturalgascrater.Geologistssetitonfireto
preventthespreadofmethanegas,andithasbeenburningcontinuouslysincethen
www.mrobroin.com

Door to Hell, Turkmenistan


Thediameterofthecrateris69m(226ft),anditsdepthis30m(98ft).

ItisinthemiddleoftheKarakumDesert,
about260km(160miles)northofAshgabat,thecapitalofTurkmenistan.
www.mrobroin.com

Zhangye Danxia Landform, China

GansuZhangyeNationalGeopark
coversanareaof322km2(124sqmiles).
www.mrobroin.com

Zhangye Danxia Landform, China


Theyaretheresultofdepositsofsandstoneandothermineralsthatoccurredover24millionyears.
Wind,rain,andtimethensculptedextraordinaryshapes,withvaryingcolours,patterns,andsizes.
www.mrobroin.com

River Nile, Northern Africa


The length of the Nile
River is approximately
6,650km (4,132 miles).

It is believed to be the
longest river in the world.
www.mrobroin.com

River Nile, Northern Africa


TheNileRiverhashugesignificanceinregardstoAncientEgypt.
MostofAncientEgyptshistoricalsitesarelocatedalongthebanks
oftheNileRiverincludingcitiessuchasLuxorandCairo.

Itisan"international"riverthatflowsthroughelevencountries:Tanzania,Uganda,
Rwanda,Burundi,DRCongo,Kenya,Ethiopia,Eritrea,SouthSudan,SudanandEgypt.
TheAmazonRiverflowsthrough
Peru,Colombia,EcuadorandBrazil.

Itisthe2ndlongestriverin
theworld(aftertheNile).

River Amazon, South America


www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

TheAmazononceflowedintheoppositedirection,butwhenthe
Andesmountainsformed,theyblockeditsflow.

ThelengthoftheAmazonRiverisapproximately6,400km(4,000miles).

TherearenobridgesthatcrosstheAmazon,mostlybecause
thereisnoneed,themajorityoftheAmazonRiverruns
throughrainforestsratherthanroadsorcities.

River Amazon, South America


www.mrobroin.com

Lake Hillier, Middle Island,


Western Australia

LakeHillierisasaltlakeontheedge
ofMiddleIsland,offthesouthcoastofWestern
Australia.Itisparticularlynotableforitspinkcolour.
www.mrobroin.com

Lake Hillier, Middle Island,


Western Australia

Thevibrantcolourispermanent,anddoesnotalterwhen
thewateristakeninacontainer.Thepinkcolouris
consideredtobeduetothepresenceofthe
organismDunaliellaSalina,amicro-algae.
www.mrobroin.com

Themountainservesas
thetripleborderpointof
Venezuela(85%ofitsterritory),
Guyana(10%)andBrazil(5%).

Mount Roraima, Border of


Venezuela, Guyana & Brazil
www.mrobroin.com

Ithasa31km2summitarea,andisboundedon
allsidesbycliffsrising400metres(1,300ft).

Mount Roraima, Border of


Venezuela, Guyana & Brazil
www.mrobroin.com

Trolltunga, Norway

Trolltunga(Trolltongue)isapiece
ofrockjuttinghorizontallyoutofa
mountainabout700m(2,300ft)
abovethenorthsideofthelake
RingedalsvatnetinNorway.
www.mrobroin.com

Trolltunga, Norway
Thecliffispartoftheprecambrianbedrockandwas
formedduringtheiceage,approximately10,000yearsago,
whentheedgesoftheglacierreachedthecliff.
www.mrobroin.com

Krishnas Butter Ball,


India
Krishna'sButterballisa
giganticgraniteboulder
restingonashortincline
inthehistoricaltownof
MahabalipuraminIndia.

Theboulderisapproximately6mhigh
and5mwideandweighsaround250tons.
Krishnas Butter Ball,
India
In1908,then-governorofthecityArthurHavelockmade
anattempttousesevenelephantstomovetheboulder
fromitspositionduetosafetyconcerns,butwithnosuccess.
www.mrobroin.com
Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, Ireland
TheCliffsofMoherarelocatedatthesouthwesternedgeoftheBurrenregioninCountyClare.
Theyrise120m(390ft)abovetheAtlanticOceanatHag'sHeadandreachtheir
maximumheightof214m(702ft)justnorthofO'Brien'sTower,8kmtothenorth

www.mrobroin.com
Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, Ireland

Aroundstonetowernearthe
midpointofthecliffswasbuilt
in1835bySirCorneliusO'Brien.

Fromthecliffsandfromatop
thetower,visitorscansee
theAranIslandsinGalwayBay.
www.mrobroin.com
www.mrobroin.com

Travelling leaves you speechless,


then turns you into a storyteller.

You might also like