The 10 Best Civil Constructions in the World
Yes, I know it's a weird list, but I think there may be a lot more people interested in this kind of destination than it seems. Often in the rankings come many natural places or places as a whole, such as towns or cities, and this is fine, but there are many travelers who are interested in architecture and engineering.
We have all gone to go somewhere and stay thinking
How will they have done this?
In this post I have selected some of the best civil constructions in the world, wonders that have been made thanks to the vision of some who would surely have been crazy and, above all, thanks to the effort and work of many people.
As I already did a special with the most popular bridges, I leave them off the list, but I have selected constructions of all kinds, fantastic places to visit composed of both modern and ancient works.
10- THE VIADUCT OF MILLAU (FRANCE)
The viaducts are bridges but they have the function of saving valleys, they join two points separated by some natural obstacle (like a valley) or artificial (like a highway). The one in the French town of Millau is considered not only one of the best civil constructions in the world, but also the highest bridge because one of its masts reaches 343 meters and its footbridge is 270 meters.
In 2006, he received the Best Structure Award from the International Bridge Builders and Structural Engineering Association, the IABSE, a prize where the Galician viaduct of the Ulla River was a finalist this year.
9- ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS THE WORLD AND PALM (DUBAI, ARAB EMIRATES)
The Palm Islands are still under construction but the artificial The World islands are already finished. In addition to these artificial islands that have already been purchased and that have been allocated to luxury resorts, hotels and shopping areas, there are some more in Dubai Bay.
The World is shaped like a world map and consists of 300 artificial islands that occupy more than 9 square kilometers. The question is to see how long they will last. In 2010 they realized that the sea was making the artificial sand of some islands disappear and the "world map" no longer had a very definite shape. We will have to see what happens but at least the result and the construction process are impressive, so it is considered one of the best civil constructions in the world.
8- EUROTUNEL (UNITED KINGDOM-FRANCE)
In 2014, to celebrate 20 years of the tunnel, the British cyclist Chris Froome became the first man to cross what is considered one of the best engineering works in the world. It reached 65 km / h and it traveled the 39 kilometers under the tunnel (it has 50.5 km in total) in 55 minutes. The train takes 35 minutes.
This tunnel, which in France is called Tunnel sous la Manche and in England Channel Tunnel, is located at its lowest point 75 meters above sea level and connects the towns of Folkestone in England with Calais in France. You can go on the Eurostar train or by car, leaving it in the shuttle.
7- SKYWALK OF THE GRAND CANYON OF COLORADO (USA)
This viewpoint is not suitable for those who suffer from vertigo but it is the best way to "fly" over the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. It is about 200 meters in height and is 22 oval in length. The floor is transparent, about 10 cm thick, and is supposed to hold up to 800 people on top.
The visit to the Grand Canyon National Park of Colorado is one of the most recommended and impressive trips you can make.
6- CANAL OF PANAMA (PANAMA)
The Panama Canal is undoubtedly one of the best civil constructions in the world and provides a solution to a problem that is to cross the Isthmus of Panama, so that you can navigate through the country between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. A work of 65 km in which about 42,000 people worked and which was inaugurated in 1914 but has recently been expanded.
Panama is not a priori a popular tourist destination rather than its channel but lately its capital, Panama City, is becoming a real attraction thanks to its mixture of tradition and modernity and the organization of major events.
5- ITAIPU DAM (BRAZIL-PARAGUAY)
As highlighted on its official website, it is "the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world". This "dam" is between Brazil and Paraguay, also near the Argentine city of Puerto Iguazú, and it is those two countries that share the electricity generated in this impressive work.
In addition to its function as an energy source, the Itaipú dam is also a tourist destination. It contains several protected areas and has one of the largest artificial lakes in the world where beaches have been built and water sports can be practiced.
4- THE ROAD OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN (NORWAY)
There are many impressive roads, and most of them are usually in mountains. This, however, is at sea level, more specifically the Norwegian Sea. It sounds incredible? For something they call it "the impossible road", one of the best civil constructions in the world.
It is in the Norwegian archipelago of M?re og Romsdal and although it only has more than 8 kilometers, it has eight bridges and several viaducts and embankments. Evidently the cars do not float but the feeling is that you drive through the water.
3- AQUEDUCT OF SEGOVIA (SPAIN)
The best works of civil construction have to be the great classics of Civilization, not only because it is proven that they have withstood the passage of time without ceasing to impress but because at the time they were designed and built there was no means or the baggage that counts now.
The aqueduct of Segovia is a symbol of the city and of Spain but we must also consider that this Roman construction of the second century served to transport water from the Fuenfría spring in the mountains to La Acebeda and from there to a deposit to supply the city.
The legend of the aqueduct of Segovia says that a girl tired of climbing the mountain to go for water, asked the devil to do something to avoid having to beat her. I guess you can say she's one of the first civil engineer in history.
2- PYRAMID OF EGYPT
Why the pyramids and not any other building? Because in reality the pyramids are not buildings but tombs.
The pyramids of Giza are a must if you go to Egypt, a World Heritage Site and one of the seven wonders of the world, for something it will be.
1- THE GREAT WALL (CHINA)
We spoke at the beginning of the article of vision that is needed to plan and carry out this type of large constructions. Well imagine if we talk about a wall of 21,196 kilometers in length, as we cross Spain in a straight line from north to south about 20,000 times.
Its construction was carried out for centuries, it is estimated that between the V-IV century a.C. and the fifteenth century, although there were long periods of inactivity in between. It is impossible to know how many people participated to create this impressive stone walk but it is said that around 10 million people died during its construction, and that is why some people refer to the wall as the largest cemetery in the world.
The Great Wall had the function of connecting the different parts of a huge empire but mainly served to protect it during the wars. Today it is the great symbol of China and one of the best civil constructions in the world.