The planet is filled with thousands of amazing natural wonders as well as some that were manmade. These are some of the most fascinating manmade sites on the globe.
1. The Panama Canal, Panama
(photo credit: lyng883)
This famous canal was one of the most difficult feats of engineering in the world. It’s just over 50 miles in length and connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Oceans. This enables ships to pass from ocean to ocean without having to travel around Cape Horn. The canal can knock about 8,000 miles off of a single journey, such as San Francisco to New York.
2. The Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona, USA
(photo credit: woychuk)
This amazing glass skywalk was commissioned by Arizona’s Hualapai tribe. It’s shaped like a horseshoe and opened above the canyon back in 2007. The Skywalk is located on the rim of a side canyon which sits about 4,000 feet over top of the mighty Colorado River. The skywalk is very sturdy and can support over 71,000 pounds of weight and can handle 100 mile-per-hour winds.
3. Macau, China
(photo credit: jlcalgary)
This former Portuguese colony is now a special administrative region of China. It’s known as one of the world’s top gambling sites and is one of the busiest tourist attractions in the world. A huge amount of money has gone into the building and development of Macau and it now rakes in more money than Las Vegas.
4. The Chunnel, England/France
(photo credit: reway2007)
The Chunnel is an underground tunnel that runs underneath the English Channel. It’s just over 31 miles long and links Folkestone, England Calais, France. It opened up in 1994 and enables auto traffic and trains to travel through it. It’s also the world’s second-longest tunnel. The Seikan railway tunnel in Japan is the only one longer.
5. The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Japan
(photo credit: zhzheka)
This famous bridge is also called the Pearl Bridge. It covers the strait between the Japanese islands of Awaji and Honshu. When it opened in 1998 it became the world’s longest suspension bridge at a length of 6,532 feet. It’s a quarter of a mile longer than the world’s second -longest bridge.
6. The Globe of Science and Innovation, Geneva, Switzerland
(photo credit: kevingessner)
This huge wooden ball is home to the European Organization for Nuclear Research’s education center. The building is about the same size as the dome on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy. There’s a series of tunnels underneath the surface that total 17 miles in length.
7. Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
(photo credit: thetravelguru)
There are three large manmade Palm islands in Dubai, and this was the first one built and is also the biggest of the three. The islands were constructed as a way to boost the nation’s tourism industry, especially as a beachside resort. Building began on the island back in 2001 and when it was completed the length of Dubai’s coastline was doubled.
8. The Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota, USA
(photo credit: jstephenconn)
This is known as the largest sculpture in the world and it’s still not finished. Construction on it began back in 1948 by a sculptor named Korczak Ziolkowski, who also helped build Mount Rushmore. This monument is to honor the heritage and culture of Native Americans. Explosive devices are used to build it and when it’s finished it will be 563 feet in height and 641 feet in width. The head of Crazy Horse will reach a height of 87 feet.
9. The Singapore Flyer, Singapore
(photo credit: eustaquio)
This huge Ferris wheel has 28 observation capsules that are air-conditioned and can each hold 28 visitors. The wheel was opened in 2008 and provides spectacular views of Singapore for as far as the eye can see. It’s the world’s largest observation wheel at 541 feet in height and a diameter of 492-feet.
10. Three Gorges Dam, Hubei, China
(photo credit: remkotanis)
This dam is known as the world’s biggest hydroelectric power station. It has a reservoir that’s 375 miles in length inside of a 7,661-foot concrete bulk. It’s a controversial dam because the sheer size of it has already displaced hundreds of thousands of people and has submerged dozens of cultural sites in the local Three Gorges region. It took seven years to build the dam.
