Nearly every corner of the world is home to amazing examples of civil engineering projects that have changed the way people move, travel, and live. From bridges to tunnels to buildings, it’s truly incredible what modern and ancient engineers have been able to imagine, create, and design.
These 10 projects exemplify civil engineering at its best:
1. Panama Canal – Built in 1914, the Panama Canal is a transportation marvel. More than 15,000 ships pass through the canal each year, saving themselves the extra 9,000 miles it used to take to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
2. Brooklyn Bridge – The Brooklyn Bridge has stood as a landmark in New York since it was built in 1883. It was the first suspension bridge to use steel for cable wire, and over 144,000 vehicles pass through its arches every day.
3. Aqueduct of Segovia – Built in Segovia, Spain in 50 A.D., the aqueduct, with its impressive arches and granite blocks, is still being us ed to transport water to this day.
4. Burj Khalifa – If there was ever a reason to visit Dubai, it’s the Burj Khalifa. Standing 2,717 feet tall and boasting 163 floors, it’s the tallest structure in the world.
5. Qingdao Bridge – Measuring 26.4 miles long, this expansive bridge is the longest in the world. It took no less than 10,000 workers and 450,000 tons of steel to complete.
6. Golden Gate Bridge – As one of California’s most iconic landmarks, this San 
Francisco bridge used over 27,572 strands of wire that make its strong, sturdy cables. If you stretched the wire out, it would measure more than 80,000 miles from end to end.
7. English Channel Tunnel – Connecting the United Kingdom to France at 250 feet deep, this tunnel measures 31 miles long and required the expertise of over 13,000 engineers and construction experts to complete.
8. Hoover Dam – Generating enough power to supply 1.3 million people per year, the Hoover Dam features an unimaginable 690 foot thick base.
9. Great Pyramid of Giza – Engineers still ponder over how the great pyramids were built more than 4,500 years ago. The Giza pyramid consists of over 2.3 million stone blocks, some carried from 500 miles away.
10. Great Wall of China – Measuring 5,500 miles long, construction on the Great Wall began in the year 475 B.C. It wasn’t until somewhere between the 15th and 17th centuries that the project was completed.
Images courtesy of www.pixabay.com
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