How Tall Is the Eiffel Tower?
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France was designed by engineer and architect Gustave Eiffel. In French, the Eiffel Tower is referred to as either "La dame de fer," which means "the iron lady," or La Tour Eiffel. Completed in March 1889, the tower was intended to serve as an entrance arch to the 1889 World Fair, which also marked 100 years since the French Revolution. The Eiffel Tower is made from wrought iron and is located on the Champ de Mars. Today, the tower is an iconic symbol of Paris and France. Furthermore, the Eiffel Tower is also one of the most recognized structures in the world and a popular tourist attraction.
Height of the Eiffel Tower
The main structure of the is Eiffel Tower is 300 meters tall, although the height including antennas is 324 meters. This height is roughly equivalent to that of an 81-storey building. Interestingly, the Eiffel Tower can shrink by 6 inches during cold temperatures. The tower has a square base that measures 125 meters by 125 meters. The Eiffel Tower has three levels, and visitors can access the first and second levels by either lifts (elevators) or stairs. There are 1,665 steps to the top of the tower. However, the third level can be accessed only by lifts. The tower has a total of eight lifts. The wrought iron structure of the Eiffel Tower is made up of 18,000 metallic parts and is held together by 2.5 million rivets. As such, the tower is heavy and weighs approximately 10,100 tonnes.
The Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument as the tallest man-made structure in the world. It remained the tallest structure until the Chrysler Building was built in New York City in 1930. However, the addition of broadcasting antennas on the top of the tower in 1957 meant that the Eiffel Tower was taller than the Chrysler building by 5.2 meters. The Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in France, but became the second tallest in the country after the completion of the Millau Viaduct (343 meters tall) in 2004. It is also the most visited paid monument in the world. In fact, an estimated 200 million people have visited the Eiffel Tower since its inauguration.
Significance of the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was planned to remain in place for a period of 20 years and then be removed. However, it served as an effective communication tower, and therefore was not dismantled, and has now existed for over 125 years. The Eiffel Tower has inspired many other towers around the world, such as the Blackpool Tower (Blackpool, England), the Tokyo Tower (Minato Tokyo, Japan), and the Las Vegas Eiffel Tower (Las Vegas Strip, Nevada-USA). Additionally, the Eiffel Tower is considered an architectural masterpiece that attracts over 7 million tourists annually. Consequently, it has boosted the tourism industry in Paris and France.
