The Great Wall of China is the longest structure on Earth and the largest fortification in the world.

In Chinese, the wall is called Wanli Changcheng, which is usually translated as "ten thousand li long wall" (li is a measure of length, about 500 m). However, "wanli" means not only "ten thousand", but also an indefinite "very many". That is, the name can be translated as "a very long wall."

Geography
the great Wall of China

Conventions
--- Surviving sites

1 SHANHAIGUAN also called "The first passage in the Middle Kingdom." The outpost protected the passage from Manchuria.

2 JUYUNGUAN- the nearest passage to Beijing. Inside the outpost is the "Cloud Platform" (Yuntai), its height is 9.5 m. It is decorated with images of the Buddha and Buddhist inscriptions in six languages.

3 JIAYYUGUAN- an important point on the Great Silk Road. On the Western Gate there is an inscription: "Be kind to distant countries" - this is a parting word to those leaving the country. On the Eastern Gate is written: "Gate to the Brilliant Civilization" - with such a statement about themselves, the Chinese welcomed incoming foreigners.

4 YUMENGUAN- the most western point Great Wall. Caravans of the Great Silk Road passed through this outpost.

Photo: Corbis / All Over Press, NASA'S Earth Observatory

The most recognizable symbol of China, as well as its long and colorful history, has become the great Wall of China. This monumental structure consists of numerous walls and fortifications, many of which run parallel to each other. It was originally conceived to protect against nomadic raids by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (circa 259-210 BC). Great Wall of China (China) became one of the most grandiose construction projects in the history of mankind.

Great Wall of China: interesting facts

Here are the most interesting facts about the Great Wall of China:
The VKS is the longest wall in the world and the largest building of antiquity.
Stunning scenery, from the beaches of Qinhuangdao to the rocky mountains around Beijing.

Consists the great Wall of China from many sections-plots:

• Badaling
• Huang Huangcheng
• Juyongguan
• Ji Yongguan
• shanhaiguan
• Yangguang
• Gubeika
• Giancu
• Jin Shang Ling
• Mutianyu
• Symatai
• yangmenguang

But interesting fact. Why are the loopholes of the Great Wall of China looking towards China? In fact, the photo shows that they look in both directions at once - that is, they were made with the expectation that you could defend yourself from both sides.

Length of the Great Wall of China in kilometers

• Contrary to popular belief, the wall is not visible from space without a good approximation.
• Already during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), glutinous rice dough was used for construction as a kind of material for fastening stone blocks.
• The labor force at the construction site was military personnel, peasants, convicts and prisoners, naturally not of their own free will.
• Although officially 8851 km, the length of all branches and sections built over thousands of years is estimated at 21,197 km. The circumference of the equator is 40,075 km.

• There is a popular legend about Meng Jing Niu, whose husband died at a construction site. Her weeping was so bitter that the Great Wall of China collapsed, revealing her husband's bones, and his wife was able to bury him.
• There are still traces of bullets on the Gubeiku site, there was a fierce battle here in the past.
• During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), many stones were stolen from the wall to build houses, farms and reservoirs.



• The northwestern sections of the wall (for example, in the provinces of Gansu and Ningxia) are likely to disappear within 20 years. The reason for this is both natural conditions and human activities.
• The most famous part of the Great Wall, Badaling, has been visited by more than 300 heads of state and dignitaries from all over the world, the first being Soviet politician Klim Voroshilov in 1957.



The Great Wall of China (China): the history of creation

Significance: The longest fortification ever built by man.
The purpose of the construction: the protection of the Chinese empire from the Mongol and Manchu invaders.
Significance for tourism: the largest and at the same time the most popular attraction in China.
Provinces in which the Great Wall of China passes: Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu.
Start and End: From Shanhaiguan Pass (39.96N, 119.80E) to Jiayu Belt (39.85N, 97.54E). Distance directly - 1900 km.
Nearest section to Beijing: Juyongguan (55 km)


Most visited site: Badaling (63 million visitors in 2001)
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills. Great Wall of China, China extends from the Bohai coast, in Qinhuangdao, around the northern part of the Chinese Plain, through the Loess Plateau. Then it goes along the desert province of Gansu, between the Tibetan plateau and the loess hills of Inner Mongolia.



Altitude above sea level: from sea level to more than 500 meters.
The most suitable time of year to visit the Great Wall of China: the sites near Beijing are best visited in spring or autumn. Jiayuguan - from May to October. Shanhaiguan pass - in summer and early autumn.


The Great Wall of China is the largest cemetery. More than a million people lost their lives during its construction.

Since ancient times, walls have been built for protection, they served to keep inside people and keep out strangers. That is why among the historical architectural monuments there are so many fortresses, impregnable castles and walls thousands of kilometers long.

Time passes, and despite new attempts to build walls to protect the borders, some states are beginning to tear down their walls and build bridges. Today, new and old fences serve as memorials and reminders of the times when we divided and fought. Here are the most incredible and most popular walls in the world.

City walls of Ston, Croatia

The city walls of Ston were erected to protect the city from attacks. This is a whole series of protective stone structures. original length outer wall was seven kilometers.

The town of Ston is located on the Peljesek peninsula in southern Croatia. The construction of its defensive structures, along with forty city towers and five fortresses, was completed in the 15th century.

Later, during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Austrian authorities began to dismantle the wall for materials for the construction of schools and other public buildings. From the stones of this medieval wall was erected and Triumphal Arch on the occasion of the visit of the Austrian emperor to the city in 1884. Demolition was halted during World War II and then completely stopped.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, Washington DC

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial in Washington, D.C., commemorating members of the United States Armed Forces who died during the Vietnam War. The memorial was completed in 1983. The famous "Wall" is a composite architectural structure of two walls 75 meters high. Exactly 58,300 names of dead or missing victims of the conflict are written on the wall. The "Wall" is often called the most touching and emotional monument and is rightfully considered one of the most famous walls in the world.

Walls of Troy

Troy is legendary ancient city, glorified in Homer's epic poem The Iliad. The ruins of Troy are located in today's northwestern Turkey. This is where the famous Trojan War took place. Troy consists of several layers of ruins. The excavation layer "Troy VIIa" was dated to the middle or the end of the 13th century BC and, most likely, is the skeleton of the same Troy of Homer. Part of the legendary walls of Troy can still be seen at the excavation site. Nowadays, an increasing number of tourists visit the former Troy every year. A whole tourist center has been built near the historical memorial. The playground for children is shaped like a large wooden horse, which reminds children of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans that lasted 12 years.

Adrian's shaft

Hadrian's Wall, also called the Roman Wall, was built by the Romans to protect their British colony from the "wild" tribes that inhabited the lands of Scotland. Construction began in 122 AD. The wall stretches 117 kilometers across the entire island from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. The grandiose stone rampart was named after the Roman Emperor Hadrian and completed within six years. Approximately 9,000 legionnaires, including infantry and cavalry, were stationed at the wall.

The wall had a stone base, and several fortresses were placed along it. Between the fortresses stood two towers. A fort was built every five Roman miles. The defenses included a ditch, a wall, and another ditch with adjacent embankments. It is believed that the fortresses were manned by permanent garrisons, while the forts had small mobile garrisons of infantry and cavalry. In addition to the wall's defensive military role, its gates may have been customs posts.

Today it is one of the most popular attractions in the UK. A significant part of the shaft is still standing and is the largest ancient Roman artifact in the world. In 1987, the shaft was recognized as an object world heritage UNESCO.

Berlin Wall

The famous Berlin Wall in Germany divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. This was one of the major political stumbling blocks in Europe. The construction of the Berlin Wall began in 1961 at the request of the CPSU. It was a desperate attempt by East Germany to stop East Berliners escaping from controlled Soviet Union states to the west of the city, which at that time was occupied by the Americans, British and French. Approximately 5,000 people tried to escape from East Berlin in spite of the wall. The death toll from failed attempts varies between 98 and 200 over the entire existence of the wall. Its fall in 1990 marked the reunification of the German state. Today parts of the wall serve as a memorial and a favorite canvas for graffiti lovers.

Walls of Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe is a period of cultural development of the state, characterized by the development of architecture, culture and economy. A series of stone ruins is associated with this period, spread over a large area of ​​the modern state of Zimbabwe. At one time, the walls reached ten meters in height, and the towers - 40 meters. Monuments of ancient architecture were built by the local Bantu population, construction began in the XI century and ended in the XIV century. About 18 thousand inhabitants lived on the territory of Great Zimbabwe. It is the largest ancient structure south of the Sahara Desert.

Sacsayhuaman

Sacsayhuaman is a walled ancient temple and military complex high above the city of Cusco in Peru, it was the historical capital of the Inca Empire. Three parallel walls were built at different levels from huge limestone blocks. It is believed that the winding walls represent the teeth of the cougar's open mouth. The most big wall- 8.5 meters high and weighing approximately 140 tons. The wall is built so skillfully that even a single thin piece of paper will not squeeze through between the blocks. Cusco and Sacsayhuaman were added together to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.

Walls of Babylon

The walls of Babylon, which protected the city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, were one of the original wonders of the world mentioned by Greek poets. They were built around 575 BC. The gates and walls were built of blue tiles, interspersed with rows of bas-relief depicting dragons and bison. Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein began restoration and new construction on top of the old ruins in 1983.

Wall of Tears

The Western Wall of Jerusalem, also called the Wailing Wall, is one of the most famous religious sites in Israel. It is located in Old Jerusalem. The base of the wall and the first levels were built around 19 BC by Herod the Great. But the upper layers were added after the 7th century. The Western Wall is the only surviving ruin of the Holy Temple of the Jews. Other representatives of the Abrahamic religions, such as Christianity and Islam, also bow to her.

the great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is an incredible achievement of mankind. It's hard to believe that this is even possible. The wall was built, restored and maintained from the 5th century BC to the 16th century AD. Its purpose was to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from attacks by hostile tribes. One of the most famous sites is a wall built between 220 and 206 BC by China's first emperor, but little remains of that wall. Most of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The entire Great Wall with all its branches is 8,851.8 kilometers long.