How Long is the Great Wall of China

National Geographic estimates that the Great Wall of China is 4,000 miles long. The exact length is unknown because parts of the Wall have almost disappeared due to natural and human destruction. Archaeologists are discovering hidden sections using technologies like infrared and GPS.

Geography

The Great Wall is a series of fortifications spanning from the Bo Hai in the east to the Gobi Desert in the west.

Function

The ancient Chinese built walls for protection. Because China does not have natural boundaries in the north, Emperor Qin Shihuangdi started connecting many of these walls to prevent raids by the nomadic Xiongnu.

History

Construction of the Wall began under the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC) but much of the Wall we see today comes from the Ming period (1368-1644).

Considerations

The World Monuments Fund listed the Wall as one of the World's 100 Most Endangered Sites in 2002. The Chinese government subsequently enacted laws to protect it.

Misconceptions

Legend has it that the Great Wall of China can be seen from the moon. After Apollo 12 landed on the moon in 1969, astronaut Alan Bean remarked that no man-made objects on earth were visible.

References

• Great Wall of China Overrun, Damaged, Disneyfied
• Great Wall of China longer than believed as 180 missing miles found
• The Great Wall of China, 221 BC-1644 AD; Stephen Turnbull; 2007

Resources

• China's Wall Less Great in View from Space