Geography Trivia- Thursday Thirties Week 7

Only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World survives: the Great Pyramid of Giza, built around 2560 BC. The other six — including the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria — were all destroyed by earthquakes, fire, or simply lost to time.

The Great Pyramid originally stood at 146 metres (481 ft) but erosion and the loss of its limestone casing stones have reduced it to around 138 metres today. When completed around 2560 BC, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world — a record it held for over 3,800 years!

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of Helios, the Greek god of the Sun, standing roughly 33 metres tall at the entrance to the harbour of Rhodes. Built to celebrate a military victory in 280 BC, it stood for only 54 years before being toppled by an earthquake!

Petra lies in southern Jordan, carved directly into rose-red sandstone cliffs by the Nabataeans over 2,000 years ago. The city's iconic Treasury facade was made world-famous as the hiding place of the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!

Like the Great Pyramid of Giza, this massive Irish passage tomb was built by an ancient civilization as an impressive architectural marvel for the dead.

The Hanging Gardens were traditionally attributed to Babylon, in modern-day Iraq, supposedly built by King Nebuchadnezzar II for his homesick wife. They remain the most mysterious of the Seven Wonders — some historians doubt they existed at all, while others believe they may have actually been in Nineveh!

Christ the Redeemer stands atop the Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Colosseum could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators, with most estimates settling around 50,000 seated plus standing room. Completed in 80 AD, its ingenious system of 80 entrance arches allowed the entire venue to fill or empty in just 15 minutes — a design principle still used in modern stadiums!

A comprehensive archaeological survey completed in 2012 measured the Great Wall at an astonishing 21,196 km (13,171 miles) — more than half the circumference of the Earth! This includes all branches, spurs, and secondary sections built across multiple dynasties over roughly 2,000 years, though the most famous stretches date from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).

France first settled the islands in the 1750s, but Britain took control in the early 19th century and administered it until it won its independence in 1976.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria stood in Egypt, towering an estimated 100–130 metres over the harbour for roughly 1,600 years before a series of earthquakes between the 10th and 14th centuries finally brought it down. It was so famous that the word for 'lighthouse' in French (phare), Italian (faro), and Spanish (faro) all derive from Pharos, the island it stood on!

The tower began leaning just five years into construction in 1178 because it was built on soft clay soil that couldn't evenly support its weight. Engineers have since stabilised the lean at about 3.97 degrees — but they deliberately didn't straighten it fully, knowing the lean is exactly why 5 million tourists visit each year!

Danish architect Jørn Utzon won the 1957 design competition for the Sydney Opera House, beating 232 other entries from around the world. Legend has it that his entry had already been rejected and was pulled from the discard pile by the late-arriving judge Eero Saarinen, who declared it the clear winner!

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum — a grand tomb built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died during childbirth in 1631. It took over 20,000 workers roughly 22 years to complete, and its white marble exterior changes colour depending on the time of day!

Angkor Wat sits in Siem Reap, Cambodia, covering an astonishing 162 hectares — larger than Vatican City! Originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu in the 12th century, it gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple and is so central to Cambodian identity that it appears on the national flag.

20 Vatican City spans just 0.44 square kilometers (0.17 square miles). Because it is so tiny, you can easily walk from one end to the other in less than an hour.

The Moai were carved from volcanic tuff — compressed volcanic ash — quarried mainly from the Rano Raraku crater. Nearly 1,000 statues were carved between 1250 and 1500 AD, with the tallest erected statue standing nearly 10 metres high and weighing over 80 tonnes!

The 32 Grenadine islands are an idyllic chain of volcanic islets and coral sandbanks that offer unparalleled sailing, pristine marine life, and secluded luxury hideaways.

The Parthenon was dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and patron deity of Athens. Completed in 432 BC, it once housed a massive 12-metre gold and ivory statue of Athena by the sculptor Phidias — one of the most celebrated works of art in the ancient world, now lost to history.

Hagia Sophia was completed in 537 AD under Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, who reportedly exclaimed 'Solomon, I have surpassed thee!' upon seeing it finished. For nearly 1,000 years it was the largest cathedral in the world, before being converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.

The Burj Khalifa stands at 828 metres (2,717 ft) with 163 floors, making it nearly twice the height of the Empire State Building! It took six years to build and uses enough concrete to fill 7 Olympic swimming pools. On a clear day, the view from its observation deck extends over 90 kilometres.

Four presidents gaze out from Mount Rushmore in South Dakota: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The sculpture took 14 years to complete (1927–1941) and originally planned to depict the presidents from head to waist, but funding ran out!

Antoni Gaudí devoted 43 years of his life to the Sagrada Família, and when he died in 1926, it was less than a quarter complete. Now expected to be finished around 2026 — exactly 100 years after his death — its extraordinary organic design was inspired by the forms of trees, bones, and clouds.

France gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1886 to celebrate the centennial of American independence and the friendship between the two nations. Designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi with an iron framework by Gustave Eiffel, she stands 93 metres tall from ground to torch tip!

The Forbidden City sits at the heart of Beijing, China, and served as the imperial palace for 24 emperors across the Ming and Qing dynasties. With 980 surviving buildings and roughly 8,700 rooms, it took 14 years and over a million workers to construct, and was 'forbidden' to ordinary citizens for nearly 500 years!

Stonehenge stands on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, and is believed to have been constructed in stages between roughly 3000 and 2000 BC. The largest stones, called sarsens, weigh up to 25 tonnes and were transported from Marlborough Downs 25 miles away — but the smaller bluestones came from Wales, over 150 miles distant!

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean Sea and is by far the largest island in the Greater Antilles.

Machu Picchu perches at around 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level on a narrow ridge between two peaks in the Peruvian Andes. Built in the 15th century and abandoned during the Spanish conquest, it remained unknown to the outside world until American historian Hiram Bingham publicised it in 1911!

El Castillo was built by the Maya civilisation on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula around the 9th–12th centuries AD. The pyramid has 365 steps — one for each day of the year — and during the spring and autumn equinoxes, shadows create the illusion of a serpent slithering down the northern staircase!

The Golden Gate Bridge spans the Golden Gate strait at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, connecting San Francisco to Marin County. When completed in 1937, its main span of 1,280 metres made it the longest suspension bridge in the world — a record it held for 27 years. Its iconic 'International Orange' colour was chosen to complement the natural surroundings and improve visibility in fog!