Famous Landmarks of the World

60 entries

The world’s best-known buildings and natural wonders, in order of how many people look them up. Tap one to read more, or see it on the 3D globe.

1. Eiffel Tower
France · Europe
A wrought-iron lattice tower built for the 1889 World's Fair, now the defining symbol of Paris.
2. Pyramids of Giza
Egypt · Africa
Monumental royal tombs of Old Kingdom pharaohs; the Great Pyramid is the only Ancient Wonder still standing.
3. Statue of Liberty
United States · North America
A copper statue gifted by France to the United States, greeting arrivals to New York Harbor as a symbol of freedom.
4. Big Ben
United Kingdom · Europe
The nickname for the great bell in the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, an icon of London.
5. Taj Mahal
India · Asia
A white-marble mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife; a masterpiece of Mughal architecture.
6. Great Wall
China · Asia
Fortifications built over many centuries to guard China's northern frontier, stretching thousands of kilometres.
7. Mount Fuji
Japan · Asia
Japan's highest peak, a near-symmetrical active volcano long revered in art and religion.
8. N Seoul Tower
South Korea · Asia
A communications and observation tower atop Namsan mountain, offering sweeping views over Seoul.
9. Christ the Redeemer
Brazil · South America
An Art Deco statue of Jesus with outstretched arms, overlooking Rio from the summit of Corcovado.
10. Sydney Opera House
Australia · Oceania
A performing-arts centre famed for its sail-like shell roofs, one of the great buildings of the 20th century.
11. Colosseum
Italy · Europe
Ancient Rome's great amphitheatre, where gladiator contests and public spectacles drew tens of thousands.
12. St. Basil's Cathedral
Russia · Europe
A church on Red Square famous for its cluster of colourful, swirling onion domes.
13. Sagrada Família
Spain · Europe
Gaudí's towering basilica, under construction since 1882 and famous for its organic, fantastical forms.
14. Moai
Chile · South America
Monolithic stone figures carved by the Rapa Nui people to honour their ancestors.
15. Golden Gate Bridge
United States · North America
An orange suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait; the world's longest suspension span when it opened.
16. United States Capitol
United States · North America
Seat of the U.S.
17. Grand Canyon
United States · North America
A mile-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River, exposing nearly two billion years of rock layers.
18. Mount Rushmore
United States · North America
A granite mountainside carved with 18-metre faces of four U.S.
19. Niagara Falls
Canada · North America
Three waterfalls straddling the Canada–US border, famous for their enormous volume of water.
20. Chichén Itzá
Mexico · North America
A great Maya city whose El Castillo pyramid casts a serpent-shaped shadow at the equinoxes.
21. Machu Picchu
Peru · South America
A 15th-century Inca citadel on an Andean ridge, that escaped destruction by the Spanish conquerors and became widely known to the outside world only in 1911.
22. Iguazu Falls
Brazil · South America
A system of some 275 cascades on the Brazil–Argentina border, crowned by the roaring Devil's Throat.
23. CN Tower
Canada · North America
A 553 m communications tower that was the world's tallest free-standing structure for over 30 years.
24. Space Needle
United States · North America
A futuristic observation tower built for the 1962 World's Fair, Seattle's signature landmark.
25. Oriental Pearl Tower
China · Asia
A TV tower strung with pink spheres, the signature of Shanghai's Pudong skyline.
26. Taipei 101
Taiwan · Asia
A 508 m skyscraper shaped like stacked bamboo segments, once the tallest building in the world.
27. Marina Bay Sands
Singapore · Asia
An integrated resort of three hotel towers topped by a ship-like SkyPark and rooftop infinity pool.
28. Petronas Twin Towers
Malaysia · Asia
Twin skyscrapers joined by a sky bridge, still the tallest twin towers in the world.
29. Angkor Wat
Cambodia · Asia
The Khmer Empire's vast temple complex, the largest religious monument in the world and on Cambodia's flag.
30. Ha Long Bay
Vietnam · Asia
Thousands of limestone islands and pillars rising from emerald water.
31. Mount Everest
Nepal · Asia
Earth's highest mountain above sea level at 8,849 m, in the Himalayas.
32. Uluru
Australia · Oceania
A massive sandstone monolith in the desert, sacred to the Aboriginal Anangu people.
33. Great Barrier Reef
Australia · Oceania
The world's largest coral reef system, stretching over 2,300 km and visible from space.
34. Parthenon
Greece · Europe
A temple to Athena atop the Acropolis, the supreme example of classical Greek architecture.
35. Neuschwanstein Castle
Germany · Europe
King Ludwig II's fairy-tale castle on a crag in the Alps, which inspired Disney's castle.
36. Burj Khalifa
United Arab Emirates · Asia
At 828 m, the tallest building in the world, soaring above downtown Dubai.
37. Petra – Al-Khazneh
Jordan · Asia
An ornate temple facade carved into rose-red sandstone by the Nabataeans, the icon of Petra.
38. Mount Kilimanjaro
Tanzania · Africa
Africa's highest peak and the world's tallest free-standing mountain, capped by glaciers.
39. Victoria Falls
Zambia · Africa
The Zambezi plunges over a 1.7 km-wide cliff; locals call it "the smoke that thunders".
40. Hagia Sophia
Türkiye · Europe
A Byzantine masterpiece with a vast floating dome, serving as cathedral, mosque and museum over 1,500 years.
41. Matterhorn
Switzerland · Europe
An iconic, near-pyramidal Alpine peak straddling the Swiss–Italian border.
42. Table Mountain
South Africa · Africa
A flat-topped mountain above Cape Town, often draped in a "tablecloth" of cloud.
43. Palace of Versailles
France · Europe
Louis XIV’s showpiece of absolute monarchy, famed for its gilded Royal Gate and Hall of Mirrors.
44. Notre-Dame de Paris
France · Europe
The Gothic cathedral of twin towers, rose windows and flying buttresses, its spire rebuilt after the 2019 fire.
45. Tower of London
United Kingdom · Europe
William the Conqueror’s fortress around the White Tower, home of the Crown Jewels.
46. One World Trade Center
United States · North America
The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, rising 1,776 feet on the site of the original World Trade Center.
47. Brooklyn Bridge
United States · North America
The first steel-wire suspension bridge, linking Manhattan and Brooklyn with Gothic-arched granite towers.
48. Washington Monument
United States · North America
A marble obelisk honouring George Washington; a colour change a third of the way up marks a 23-year pause in construction.
49. Lincoln Memorial
United States · North America
A Greek Doric temple ringed by 36 columns, sheltering the giant seated statue of Abraham Lincoln.
50. Walt Disney World (Cinderella Castle)
United States · North America
Cinderella Castle, the fairy-tale centrepiece of Magic Kingdom with blue-and-gold spires.
51. Arc de Triomphe
France · Europe
Napoleon's triumphal arch honouring French armies, at the hub of twelve radiating avenues.
52. Leaning Tower of Pisa
Italy · Europe
A cathedral bell tower that began to tilt during construction because of soft ground.
53. Stonehenge
United Kingdom · Europe
A prehistoric ring of massive standing stones, aligned with the midsummer sunrise.
54. Louvre Pyramid
France · Europe
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55. Moscow Kremlin
Russia · Europe
A fortified complex of red-brick walls, towers, palaces and cathedrals at the heart of Russian power.
56. Forbidden City
China · Asia
The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing emperors for nearly 500 years, the largest wooden palace complex in the world.
57. St Mark's Square
Italy · Europe
Venice's principal square, framed by St Mark's Basilica and its tall brick campanile.
58. Empire State Building
United States · North America
An Art Deco skyscraper completed in 1931 that reigned as the world's tallest building for nearly 40 years.
59. Hollywood Sign
United States · North America
Giant white letters on the Hollywood Hills, a worldwide symbol of the American film industry.
60. Santorini (Oia)
Greece · Europe
A cliff-top village of white houses and blue-domed churches above the caldera, famed for sunsets.