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TheSevenWondersoftheAncientWorldwasalistofremarkableconstructionsofancienttimes.
Althoughthelist,initscurrentform,didnotstabiliseuntiltheRenaissance,
thefirstofsuchlistsofsevenwondersdatefromthe1st-2ndcenturyBC.
OftheoriginalSevenWonders,onlyone,theGreatPyramidofGiza,theoldestoftheancientwonders,
remainsrelativelyintact.TheTempleofArtemis,theStatueofZeusatOlympia,theMausoleumat
Halicarnassus,theColossusofRhodesandtheLighthouseofAlexandriawerealldestroyed.Thelocationand
ultimatefateoftheHangingGardensareunknown,withspeculationthattheymaynothaveexistedatall.
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1.
2.
Red dates indicate that
the site lay in ruins.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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TheGreatPyramidofGiza
The Great Pyramid (alsoknownasthePyramidofKhufu
of Giza orthePyramidofCheops).
Itistheoldestofthe
SevenWondersofthe
AncientWorld,andthe
ItwastheWorld's
onlyonetoremain
TallestStructurefrom
largelyintact.
c.2570BC-1300AD.
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Initiallyat146.5metres(481feet),theGreatPyramidwasthetallestman-made
structureintheworldformorethan3,800years,from2570BC-1300AD.
Originally,theGreatPyramidwascovered
bycasingstonesthatformedasmooth
outersurface;whatisseentodayisthe
underlyingcorestructure.
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The Mausoleum at
Halicarnassus
TheMausoleumatHalicarnassus
wasatombbuiltbetween
353-350BCatHalicarnassus
(presentBodrum,Turkey)
forMausolus,agovernorin
thePersianEmpire,andhis
sister-wifeArtemisiaIIofCaria.
TheMausoleumwasapproximately
45m(148ft)inheight.
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WeknowverylittleaboutMausoluslifebut
hisfamehasenduredthroughthecenturies.
Hisburialplacewassomagnificent
thatwenowusehisnametodescribe
anygrandtomb:amausoleum.
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Accordingtomostcontemporary
descriptions,theColossusstood
approximately33mtall.Itwas
theapproximateheightofthe
StatueofLibertyfromfeetto
crown,andwasthetalleststatue
oftheancientworld.
TheStatueofLibertyinNewYork,
isbasedon19th-centuryideasof
whattheColossuslookedlike.
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Thestatuestoodforjustashort
periodoftimebeforeitwastoppled Itwassaidthatfewpeoplecould
byanearthquakein226BC. wraptheirarmsaroundthefallen
thumbandthateachofitsfingers
Theremainslayonthegroundfor waslargerthanmoststatues.
over800years,andevenbroken,
theyweresoimpressivethatmany
travelledtoseethem.
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Asof2015,thereareplanstobuilda
newColossusatRhodesHarbour,
althoughtheactuallocationofthe
originalremainsindispute.
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Itwasasculptureofivoryplatesandgoldpanels
overawoodenframework,itrepresentedthe
godZeussittingonanelaboratecedarwood
throneornamentedwithebony,ivory,goldand
variouspreciousstones.
The statue was lost in
the 5th century,
most likely by fire.
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TheeccentricRomanemperor
Caligulawantedtohavethestatue
broughttoRomesohecould
replacethegodsheadwitha
sculptureofhisown.
Accordingtolegend,whenthe
emperorsmenwenttocarryout
thistask,thestatuelaughedso
loudlythattheirscaffolding
collapsedandtheworkersfled.
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The Lighthouse of
Alexandria
TheLighthouseofAlexandria
(sometimesknownasPharosofAlexandria)
wasbuiltbyontheislandofPharos
atAlexandriainEgypt,between280-247BC.
Itwasbetween120-137m(394-449ft)tall.
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Badlydamagedbythree
earthquakesbetween Itwasthethirdlongest
AD956and1323,itthen survivingancientwonder
becameanabandoned (aftertheMausoleumat
ruin. Halicarnassusandthe
GreatPyramidofGiza)
until1480,whenthelastof
itsremnantstoneswere
usedtobuildaCitadel.
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Thiswonderwassocelebratedinthe
Thelightwasproducedby ancientworldthatpharosbecame
afurnaceatthetop. theGreekwordforlighthouse,
aswellasinmanyotherlanguages.
In1994,Frencharchaeologistsdiscoveredsome
remainsofthelighthouseonthefloorof
Alexandria'sHarbour.TheMinistryofStateof
AntiquitiesinEgypthasplanned,asoflate2015,
toturnsubmergedruinsofancientAlexandria
intoanunderwatermuseum.
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Firstbuiltin550BC,itwascompletelyrebuiltthreetimesbefore
itsfinaldestructionin401AD.Onlyfoundationsandsculptural
fragmentsofthelatestofthetemplesatthesiteremain.
ReconstructionoftheTemple.
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Becausenophysicalevidence
fortheHangingGardenshasbe
foundatBabylonithasbeen
suggestedthattheywerepurely
mythical,andthatitmayhave
representedaromanticidealof
aneasterngarden.
Ifitdidindeedexist,itwasdestroyed
sometimeafterthefirstcenturyAD.
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Facts
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Montage of the
Seven Wonders
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In2007,anonlineand
telephonevotewasusedto
compilealistofthe
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Christ the Redeemer, Colosseum,
Brazil Chichen Itza,
Italy Mexico
Great Wall
of China
Taj Mahal,
India Petra,
Jordan
Machu Picchu,
Peru
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TheColosseumalsoknownastheFlavianAmphitheatre
isthelargestamphitheatreeverbuilt.
ItstandsinthecityofRomeinItaly,
andissituatedjusteastoftheRomanForum.
ConstructionbeganundertheemperorVespasianin72AD,
andwascompletedin80ADunderhissuccessorandheirTitus.
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ThenameColosseumcomesfromacolossalstatueofNeronearby
(whichwasnamedaftertheColossusofRhodes).
TheColosseumcouldhold
between50,000and80,000
spectators,havinganaverage
audienceofsome65,000;itwas
usedforgladiatorialcontests.
TheRomanshadtheearliest
formofaSkydome.Ifitrained,
theystretchedaredcanvas
overtheentireColosseum.
ThemarblefromtheexteriorwallsoftheColosseumwas
removedmanyyearsagoandwasreusedformanyother
buildingsincludingSt.PetersBasilicainVaticanCity.
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ChristtheRedeemerisanArtDecostatue
ofJesusChristinRiodeJaneiro,Brazil.
Itwasconstructedbetween1922-1931.
Thestatueis30mtall,
notincludingits8mpedestal,
anditsarmsstretch28mwide.
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Itislocatedatthepeakofthe700mtallCorcovadomountain(meaninghunchback)
intheTijucaForestNationalParkoverlookingthecityofRio.
Thecostin1931wasabout$250,000.
Todaythatwouldroughlybethe
equivalentof$3.2m.
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ElCastillo,alsoknownasthe ChichenItzameansatthe
TempleofKukulcan, mouthofthewelloftheItza'.
isaMesoamericanstep-pyramidthat
dominatesthecentreoftheChichenItza.
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ItwasoneofthelargestMayacitiesandcovered5km2.
ThestructureofElCastillois24m(79ft)high,
plusanadditional6m(20ft)forthetemple.
ElCastillohas365stepstothetop,
oneforeverydayoftheyear.
Approximately1.2million
peoplevisittheruinsof
ChichenItzaeveryyear.
TheGreatWallofChinaisaseriesoffortificationsmadeofstone,brick,tampedearth,
wood,andothermaterials,generallybuiltalongthehistoricalnorthernbordersof
ChinatoprotecttheChinesestatesandempiresagainstraidsandinvasions.
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Severalwallswerebeingbuiltasearlyasthe7thcenturyBCandwerelaterjoinedtogether
andmadebiggerandstronger,arenowcollectivelyreferredtoastheGreatWall.
Contrarytopopularbelief,
theGreatWallcannotbe
seenfromSpace.
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MachuPicchuisa15th-century
IncacitadelinPeru,
situatedonamountainridge
MachuPicchu
2,430m(7,970ft)abovesealevel.
meansoldpeak.
Itisthemostfamiliaricon
oftheIncacivilization.
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ItislocatedontheeasternAndesmountainslopesinatropicalmountainforest.
Thereareterracesandwallsthatlookasiftheywerecutfromtherock.
Inanefforttoreducethenumberoftouriststo
thesite,therearenowrulesastohowmany
peoplecanvisitMachuPicchuinaday.
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PetraisahistoricalandarchaeologicalcityinJordan.
Thecityisfamousforitsrock-cutarchitecture
andwaterconduitsystem.
Anearthquakein363ADdestroyed
manyofthebuildingsinPetraand
italsodidmajordamagetothe
watersystem.
PetraistheGreek
wordforrock.
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PetraisalsoknownastheRoseCityduetothe
colourofthestoneoutofwhichitiscarved.
Thecitywasestablishedin
312BC,andisJordansmost
visitedtouristattraction.
Thereareapproximately
800structuresinPetra.
Themostfamousis
TheTreasury.
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Itwasconstructedfrom18871889asthe
entrancetothe1889World'sFair,isnamed
aftertheengineerGustaveEiffel,whose
companydesignedandbuiltthetower.
Thetoweris324mtall,
aboutthesameheight
asan81-storeybuilding.
HagiaSophiawasaGreekOrthodoxChristianbasilica,
Hagia Sophia, lateranimperialmosque,andnowamuseum.
Itwasbuiltfrom532-537AD.
Istanbul, Turkey
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Tostrengthenandbeautifythe
Hagia Sophia, interiorofthechurch,columnsfrom
thelong-abandonedanddestroyed
Istanbul, Turkey TempleofArtemisinEphesus
wereusedfortheHagiaSophia.
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Moai,
Easter Island
Moai,
TheseEasterIslandheadsalso
havebodiesandnearlyallare
Easter Island
carvedfromvolcanicrock.
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Neuschwanstein Castle,
Germany SchlossNeuschwanstein
meaningNewSwanstoneCastleisa
19thcenturyRomanesqueRevival
palaceonaruggedhillin
southwestBavaria,Germany.
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Neuschwanstein Castle,
Itservedastheinspiration
forDisneyland's
Germany
SleepingBeautyCastle.
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Thebuildingisshaped
asaflameofabonfire
risingintothesky.
StatueofLibertyisacolossal
neoclassicalsculptureonLiberty
IslandinNewYorkHarbour.
ItwasdesignedbyFrenchsculptor
FrdricAugusteBartholdi,andwasbuilt
Thecopperstatueis46mtall,
byGustaveEiffelanddedicatedon
andtheheightofthetorch
October28,1886.Itwasagifttothe
fromthegroundis93m.
UnitedStatesfromthepeopleofFrance.
Stonehengeisaprehistoricmonument
whicharchaeologistsbelievewas
constructedfrom3000BCto2000BC.
TheGoldenGateBridgeisasuspension
bridgespanningtheGoldenGatestrait,
whichisthechannelbetween
SanFranciscoBayandthePacificOcean.
Itwasconstructedbetween1933-1937
andwas,until1964,thelongestsuspensionbridge
mainspanintheworld,at1,300m(4,200feet).
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Thebridgeispaintedinternationalorange
toensureitsvisibilitytopassingships.
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.
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Itmeasures73m(238feet)long,
anditiscarvedfromthebedrock,
meaningitisonesinglestone.
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ItwasdesignedbyNicolaSalvi
andwasbuiltbetween1732-1762.
Legendhasitthatthethrowingofa
coinfromtherighthandoverthe
leftshoulderwillensurethatyouwill
returntoRomeinthefuture.
TheLouvreMuseumistheworld'slargestmuseum,andwasopenedin1793.
ItishousedintheLouvrePalace,originallyafortressbuiltinthemedievalperiodbyKingPhilipII.
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Nearly35,000objectsfromprehistorytothe21stcenturyareexhibitedintheLouvre,
includingtheMonaLisabyLeonardoDaVinci,whichhasbeenonpermanentdisplayheresince1797.
MannekenPismeaning
littlemanpeeisa
Thefigurehasbeenrepeatedly
smallbronzesculpture
stolen,andthecurrentstatue
measuring61cm.
datesfrom1965.
Itwasdesignedby
Theoriginalrestoredversioniskept
HironymusDuquesnoy
attheMaisonduRoi/Broodhuison
theElderandputin
theGrandPlace.
placein1618or1619.
Thetroopsputtheinfantlordina
basketandhungthebasketina
Thestatueisdressedin treetoencouragethem.From
variousdifferentcostumes there,theboyurinatedonthe
severaltimeseachweek. troopsoftheBerthouts,who
eventuallylostthebattle.
Mont Saint-Michel,
Normandy, France
Itisanislandcommunein
Normandy,France.Itislocated
Asof2009,theisland about1kmoffthecountry's
hasapopulationof44. northwesterncoast.
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Accordingtolegend,thearchangelMichael
appearedin708ADtothebishopofAvranches,
andinstructedhimtobuildachurch
ontherockyislet.
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PetronasisshortforPetroliamNasionalBerhad,
whichisthenationaloil-companyofMalaysia.
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Mount Rushmore,
South Dakota, USA
MountRushmoreNationalMemorialisasculpture
carvedintothegranitefaceofMountRushmore
intheBlackHillsofSouthDakota.
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Mount Rushmore,
South Dakota, USA
ItwassculptedbyGutzonBorglumandhisson
LincolnBorglum,andfeatures18m(60-foot)
sculpturesoftheheadsof
fourUSPresidents.
TheBrandenburgGatewasbuilt Itfeaturesaquadriga,whichis
Between1788-1791. achariotdrawnbyfourhorsesabreast.
Duringthepost-warPartitionofGermany, Thegatesufferedconsiderabledamage
thegatewasisolatedandinaccessible inWorldWarII,theBrandenburgGate
immediatelynexttotheBerlinWall. wasrestoredfrom2000to2002.
ItisthelargestmosqueintheworldandisinthecityofMecca,SaudiArabia.Thestructurecoversanarea
of356,800m2(88.2acres)includingtheoutdoorandindoorprayingspacesandisopenatalltimes.
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St.PetersBasilicaisthemainchurchinVaticanCity,
whichwasbuiltbetween1506-1626,
anddesignedbymanyRenaissancearchitects
includingCarloMadernoandMichelangelo.
TheAtomiumwasoriginallyconstructedfor
Expo58,the1958BrusselsWorldsFair.
Itstands102m
(335ft)tall.
Itsnine18m(60ft)diameterstainless
The Atomium, steelcladspheresareconnectedso
thatthewholeconstructionformsthe
Brussels, Belgium shapeofaunitcellofanironcrystal
magnified165billiontimes.
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Itisalignedwiththerisingsunandits
lightfloodstheinnerchamberon
thewintersolstice,December21st.
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Burj Khalifa,
Dubai, UAE Ithas163floorsandofficiallyopenedin2010.
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Bran Castle,
Vladepe,aWallachianrulerknown
asVladtheImpaler,wasthe Transylvania, Romania
inspirationforBramStokersDracula.
Thecastleismarketedas
DraculasCastle,butinreality,
Vladepeonlyspenttwomonths
inholdingatthecastle.
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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.
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Forbidden City, Beijing, China
TheForbiddenCitywastheChineseimperialpalacefromthe
MingdynastytotheendoftheQingdynasty(1420-1912).
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Forbidden City, Beijing, China
Itwasconstructedfrom1406-1420andconsistsof980buildings.
Itservedasthehomeoftheemperorsfornearly500years.
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TowerBridgeisacombined
bascule(drawbridge)andsuspensionbridge
inLondonbuiltin18861894.
ThebridgecrossestheRiverThames
closetotheTowerofLondon.
Rome, Italy
Thedomehasacircularhole
calledanOculus(eye)
whichletsthesunlightin.
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ThePantheonistheoldeststanding
Pantheon, buildingonEarthstillindailyuse.
Rome, Italy
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Tigers Nest
Monastery,
Bhutan
Thismonasteryisa
culturaliconofBhutan,a
countrylocatedentirely
withintheHimalaya
mountainrange.
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Tigers Nest
Monastery,
Bhutan
Thetemplewasbuiltin1692,aroundthecavewhere
theBuddhistMasterGuruPadmasambhavaissaidto
havemeditatedforthreeyears,threemonths,three
weeks,threedaysandthreehoursinthe8thcentury.
CN Tower, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
CNTowerisa553.3mhighconcretecommunicationsand
observationtowerindowntownToronto.CNstandsforCanadian
National,therailwaycompanythatbuiltthetower.
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CN Tower, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
Whenitwascompletedin1976,itwastheworld's
tallestfree-standingstructureandworld'stallesttower.
Itheldbothrecordsfor34yearsuntilthecompletion
ofBurjKhalifaandCantonTowerin2010.
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ThePalmJumeirahisanartificialarchipelagoinUnitedArabEmirates,createdusinglandreclamation.
Constructionbeganin2001andthefirsthomesweresoldin2006.
ItisveryclosetotheBurj-alArab(Towerofthe
Arabs)Hotel,whichisitselfbuiltonanartificial
islandandwascompletedin1999.
ClosebyareTheWorldIslands,anartificial
archipelagoofvarioussmallislandsconstructedinthe
roughshapeofaworldmap,locatedinthewatersof
thePersianGulf,4km(2.5mi)offthecoastofDubai.
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Sagrada Famlia,
Barcelona, Spain
TheBasilicaChurchoftheHolyFamily
inBarcelonawasdesignedbyCatalan
architectAntoniGaud(18521926).
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Sagrada Famlia,
Constructionbeganin1882,
anditisstillunfinished. Barcelona, Spain
Itisanticipatedtofinishin
2026,the100thanniversary
ofGaudisdeath.
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Natural
Wonders of
the World
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TheGreatBarrierReefistheworld'slargestcoralreefsystem
composedofover2,900individualreefsand900islandsstretching
forover2,300km(1,400mi)overanareaofapproximately
344,400km2(133,000sqmi).ThereefislocatedintheCoralSea,
offthecoastofQueensland,Australia.
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TheGreatBarrierReefcanbeseenfromouterspaceandistheworld'sbiggest
singlestructuremadebylivingorganisms.Thisreefstructureiscomposedofand
builtbybillionsoftinyorganisms,knownascoralpolyps.
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MtEverestislocatedintheHimalayas
mountainrangeontheborder
ofNepalandTibet(China).
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Aurora
Thename'Aurora'comesfromtheLatinwordforsunriseortheRomangoddessofdawn.
Anauroraisanaturallightdisplayinthesky,usuallyofgreenishcolorbutsometimesredorblue.
Thisnaturalphenomenonusuallyoccursinareasknownasthe'auroralzone'nearthepolesof
theArcticinthenorthandAntarcticinthesouth.
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Aurora
Theeffectisknownastheauroraborealis(ortheNorthernLights)inNorthernhemispherelatitudes.
InSouthernhemispherelatitudestheeffectisknownastheauroraaustralis(ortheSouthernLights).
Auroraiscausedbythecollisionofenergeticallychargedparticleswithatoms
inthehighaltitudethermospherewithinouratmosphere.
VictoriaFallsisawaterfallin
southernAfricaonthe
ZambeziRiverattheborder
ofZambiaandZimbabwe.
TheDeadSeaisasaltlakeborderedbyJordantotheeast
andIsraelandPalestinetothewest.
Itisalmost10timesassaltyastheocean,andoneoftheworld's
saltiestbodiesofwater.Thissalinitymakesforaharshenvironmentin
whichplantsandanimalscannotflourish,henceitsname.
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AnyonecaneasilyfloatintheDeadSea
becauseofnaturalbuoyancy.
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Thecliffsstretchalongthecoastlineforeightmiles(13km),andface
towardsFranceacrossthenarrowestpartoftheEnglishChannel.
Thecliffface,whichreachesupto350feet(110m),owesitsstriking
appearancetoitscompositionofchalkaccentuatedbystreaksofblackflint.
Thecliffscanbeseenfrom
France,whichisjust33km White Cliffs of Dover,
acrosstheEnglishChannel.
England
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Uluru,alsoknownasAyersRockisalargesandstonerockformationinthesouthern
partoftheNorthernTerritoryincentralAustralia.Itlies335km(208miles)south
westofthenearestlargetown,AliceSprings,450km(280miles)byroad.
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UluruissacredtotheAboriginalpeopleofthearea.Theareaaroundtheformation
ishometoanabundanceofsprings,waterholes,rockcavesandancientpaintings.
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Thecraterwascreatedabout50,000yearsago,whenthelocalclimateonthe
ColoradoPlateauwasmuchcooleranddamper.Theareawasanopengrassland
dottedwithwoodlandsinhabitedbywoollymammothsandgiantgroundsloths.
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MountVesuviusisastratovolcanolocatedontheGulfofNapoliinItaly,about
9km(5.6miles)eastofNapoliandashortdistancefromtheshore.Itisbestknownfor
itseruptioninAD79thatledtotheburyinganddestructionoftheRomancityofPompeii.
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Today,itisregardedasoneofthe
mostdangerousvolcanoesinthe
worldbecauseofthepopulationof
3,000,000peoplelivingnearby.
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TheSahara(al-aral-kubrinArabicmeaningtheGreatestDesert)
isthelargesthotdesertintheworld,andthethirdlargestdesertintheworld
afterAntarcticaandtheArctic.
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TheSaharacoverslargepartsofAlgeria,Chad,Egypt,Libya,Mali,Mauritania,Morocco,Niger,
WesternSahara,SudanandTunisia.Ithasanareaof9,200,000km2(3,600,000sqmiles),which
iscomparabletotheareaoftheUnitedStates,andamountsto31%ofAfrica.
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SalardeUyuniistheworld'slargestsaltflat
at10,582km2(4,086sqmiles).
Naturalsaltpansorsaltflatsareflatexpansesofgroundcovered
withsaltandotherminerals,usuallyshiningwhiteundertheSun.
Itissometimesreferredtoas
theworldslargestmirror.
Itislocatedatanaltitudeof3,656m(11,995ft)
abovesealevelinsouthwestBolivia.
TheGiant'sCausewayisanareaofabout40,000interlocking
basaltcolumns,theresultofanancientvolcaniceruption.
Thetopsofthecolumnsformsteppingstonesthat
leadfromtheclifffootanddisappearunderthesea.
Mostofthecolumnsarehexagonal,althoughthere
arealsosomewithfour,five,sevenoreightsides.
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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.
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The"DoortoHell"isanaturalgasfieldinDerweze,Turkmenistan,thatcollapsedinto
anundergroundcavernin1971,becominganaturalgascrater.Geologistssetitonfireto
preventthespreadofmethanegas,andithasbeenburningcontinuouslysincethen
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ItisinthemiddleoftheKarakumDesert,
about260km(160miles)northofAshgabat,thecapitalofTurkmenistan.
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GansuZhangyeNationalGeopark
coversanareaof322km2(124sqmiles).
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It is believed to be the
longest river in the world.
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Itisan"international"riverthatflowsthroughelevencountries:Tanzania,Uganda,
Rwanda,Burundi,DRCongo,Kenya,Ethiopia,Eritrea,SouthSudan,SudanandEgypt.
TheAmazonRiverflowsthrough
Peru,Colombia,EcuadorandBrazil.
Itisthe2ndlongestriverin
theworld(aftertheNile).
TheAmazononceflowedintheoppositedirection,butwhenthe
Andesmountainsformed,theyblockeditsflow.
ThelengthoftheAmazonRiverisapproximately6,400km(4,000miles).
TherearenobridgesthatcrosstheAmazon,mostlybecause
thereisnoneed,themajorityoftheAmazonRiverruns
throughrainforestsratherthanroadsorcities.
LakeHillierisasaltlakeontheedge
ofMiddleIsland,offthesouthcoastofWestern
Australia.Itisparticularlynotableforitspinkcolour.
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Thevibrantcolourispermanent,anddoesnotalterwhen
thewateristakeninacontainer.Thepinkcolouris
consideredtobeduetothepresenceofthe
organismDunaliellaSalina,amicro-algae.
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Themountainservesas
thetripleborderpointof
Venezuela(85%ofitsterritory),
Guyana(10%)andBrazil(5%).
Ithasa31km2summitarea,andisboundedon
allsidesbycliffsrising400metres(1,300ft).
Trolltunga, Norway
Trolltunga(Trolltongue)isapiece
ofrockjuttinghorizontallyoutofa
mountainabout700m(2,300ft)
abovethenorthsideofthelake
RingedalsvatnetinNorway.
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Trolltunga, Norway
Thecliffispartoftheprecambrianbedrockandwas
formedduringtheiceage,approximately10,000yearsago,
whentheedgesoftheglacierreachedthecliff.
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Theboulderisapproximately6mhigh
and5mwideandweighsaround250tons.
Krishnas Butter Ball,
India
In1908,then-governorofthecityArthurHavelockmade
anattempttousesevenelephantstomovetheboulder
fromitspositionduetosafetyconcerns,butwithnosuccess.
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Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, Ireland
TheCliffsofMoherarelocatedatthesouthwesternedgeoftheBurrenregioninCountyClare.
Theyrise120m(390ft)abovetheAtlanticOceanatHag'sHeadandreachtheir
maximumheightof214m(702ft)justnorthofO'Brien'sTower,8kmtothenorth
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Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, Ireland
Aroundstonetowernearthe
midpointofthecliffswasbuilt
in1835bySirCorneliusO'Brien.
Fromthecliffsandfromatop
thetower,visitorscansee
theAranIslandsinGalwayBay.
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