Completed
in 1889 to serve as the entrance arch
for the Exposition Universelle, a giant
fair marking the centennial celebration
of the French revolution. Named after
it creator, the tower is made from 18,038
pieces of wrought-iron and uses two and
a half million rivets; at one time considered
junk, this world famous tower would quickly
become an eternal symbol of France. Today
people come from all over the world to
see its latticed beams, and on November
28, 2002 the tower received its 200,000,000th
guest.
The Eiffel Tower is 300 meters (986 feet)
tall, not including the 24-meter television
antenna on top, and weighs 10,100 tonnes.
It was the world's tallest structure for
forty years until 1929, when it lost the
title of the “world's tallest structure”
when the Chrysler Building was completed
in New York. Depending on the ambient
temperature, the top of the Eiffel Tower
will shift away from the sun by eight
centimetres because of expansion of the
sun-warmed metal.
Made
from iron, the Eiffel Tower tends to rust
and it takes 50 tons of three graded tones
paint every 7 years to protect its surfaces.
Currently painted to a shade of brown,
there are contests to see what colour
it will be painted next. For anyone visiting
Paris the tower is a starting point for
their exploration of the city. Many of
the landmarks around it are noted by their
position in relation to the tower, and
most people will move about the city looking
for the perfect view of the tower. Indeed,
the view from the tower itself is considered
to the be breathtaking, and tourist after
tourist goes up its elevators to see Paris
from a bird’s eye view.
Eiffel
Tower Travel Links |
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