What Are the Dimensions of the Great Wall of China?

The length, width and height of the Great Wall of China are truly of phenomenal proportions. However, there are some popular misconceptions about this largest of man-made wonders.

New Information

New mapping information proves the Great Wall of China to be larger than previously thought. A Chinese government survey discovered new sections in Liaoning and Gansu provinces, according to BBC News.

Misconceptions

Contrary to some expectations, the Great Wall of China is a winding series of walls and barriers in Northern China, not a single, long, continuous wall.
It has been photographed from orbit, but cannot be seen from space with the naked eye, according to a 2005 NASA article.

Length

Altogether, according to the BBC figures, the length of the Great Wall of China totals 8,850 km, or 5,500 miles long. This figure includes 6,259 km in actual wall sections, 2,232 km of natural defenses, and trenches totaling 359 km in length.

Width

The width of the Great Wall of China varies over different sections. By most estimates, such as those used by engineering.com, the wall's width averages 6.5 m, or 21.3 feet, at the base, and 5.8 m, or 19 feet, at the top.

Height

According to these same estimates, the height of the Great Wall of China averages 7 to 8 m, or 23 to 26 feet high, with fortifications reaching 10 m, or 30 feet in height.

References

• BBC News: Great Wall of China "Even Longer"
• NASA: China's Wall Less Great in View From Space
• Engineering.com: The Great Wall of China