Jinshanling,
China
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The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth and wood.  The wall was built in sections along China’s historical northern borders in an attempt to stop incursions by enemy forces and to control trade. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC which were later joined together and made bigger and stronger.  They are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall.

Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains however. Since then, the Great Wall has been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; the majority of the existing wall was reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD).

The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan in the East, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the Ming walls measure 8,850 km (5,500 mi). This is made up of 6,259 km (3,889 mi) sections of actual wall, 359 km (223 mi) of trenches and 2,232 km (1,387 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers. The entire wall with all of its branches amounts to 21,196 km (13,171 mi).