Fact File – Wonders of the World Rising Stars 2019 © Hodder & Stoughton

Fact file – wonders of the world

Great Wall of China, China (Asia) fact file

The Great Wall of China was built to protect against attacks and invasions. Today it is a tourist attraction and people visit from big cities like Beijing.

Why is it a world wonder? The Great Wall of China stretches around 6300 kilometres in length and is the longest structure ever built by humans – that’s four times the length of our island Great Britain! The first parts of the wall were built over 2000 years ago. The wall extends through all sorts of landscapes, even into the mountains. What else do I need to know? The widest section of the wall is around 9 metres, the highest point is 8 metres. Some parts of the wall are well maintained, others have fallen apart, have been broken or been stolen for people to build other things like walls and houses. It is made up of different sections built over a long period of time from materials like stone, wood and compacted earth.

Did you know? Scientists have found that 'sticky' rice is a secret ingredient behind the very strong paste that’s used to fill gaps between bricks and stone blocks and might have prevented the wall against earthquakes. The wheelbarrow, which the Chinese are thought to have invented, no doubt was a great help in building much of the wall. You cannot see the Great Wall of China from the moon like some people think.

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Mount Erebus (Antarctica) fact file

Mount Erebus is the second highest volcano in Antarctica. Why is it a world wonder? Antarctica is a frozen, windswept continent and no-one lives there permanently. Mount Erebus is the most active volcano in Antarctica and has a red-hot, molten lava lake, one of only five volcano lava lakes on Earth.

Mount Erebus is located on Ross Island, where there are also three inactive (not erupting) volcanoes: Mount Terror, Mount Bird and Mount Terra Nova. Did you know? Mount Erebus was discovered in 1841 when it was seen erupting by polar explorer Sir James Clark Ross. He named it and its companion, Mount Terror, after his ships, Erebus and Terror. Erebus is a Greek god of darkness, the son of Chaos.

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Golden Gate Bridge, California (North America) fact file

The Golden Gate Bridge is located on the West Coast of the United States of America. It stretches between the city of San Francisco and Marin County in California. Why is it a world wonder? It was one of the first and longest bridges of its type and is probably older than your grandparents – nearly eighty years old in 2015. It crosses the mile-wide, three-mile-long Golden Gate strait between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It was completed in 1937 and over 200,000 people walked its length of the bridge when it opened. It is very strong and is made from steel and concrete. Did you know? Its nickname before it was finished was ‘the bridge that couldn’t be built’. This was because the weather was very bad and this caused delays. You have to pay to go across – about £4.

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The Louvre, France (Europe) fact file

The Louvre Museum is located in the capital city of France, Paris. It is a busy city and has lots of other famous museums. Why is it a world wonder? The Louvre is the most famous and one of the largest in the world and first opened in 1793. People can’t decide what the name means; some say ‘castle’, others ‘red soil’. The building is a former royal palace and has a famous glass pyramid in its main courtyard. The Louvre holds paintings and objects from French people from history. Did you know? Among the many priceless paintings is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, perhaps the most famous painting in the world. It is behind protective glass. The Louvre has many other types of exhibits, including Egyptian antiques, ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, jewels and a large furniture collection. See Barnaby Bear’s day trip to Paris http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/barnabybear/stories/paris.shtml

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Christ the Redeemer, Brazil (South America) fact file

What can I see from the top? A National Forest, one of the largest city forests in the world, and one which used to be used to grow sugar and coffee. This is the fifth largest statue of Jesus in the world but probably the most famous. What does it mean? Christ the Redeemer is meant to show that Christ (Jesus) loves all. Redeem means makes things good or right again. It shows Jesus will ‘hold his arms round’ or comfort those who believe in him. The concrete used in the base came from Sweden and the statue had to be constructed in pieces and carried to the mountain top to be erected. The right arm points to south Rio de Janeiro and the left arm points to north Rio de Janeiro. Did you know? In 2008 a storm resulted in a lightning strike to the statue and the head, eyebrows and fingers were damaged. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tijuca_Forest

Christ the Redeemer is a statue in Rising Stars 2019 © Hodder & Stoughton Limited 5 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that was built as a symbol for Brazilian Fact file – wonders of the world

Uluru (Ayers’ rock), Oceania

Uluru is found in Central Australia. Australia is a huge country and most people in Australia live a long way away from this rock, near the coast. Why is it a world wonder? Uluru is just one really big stone or mountain and is made of sandstone. While most of the rock is underground, no one is sure exactly how deep it goes. Why do people think its special? This is because of its size and because it stands alone. It also seems to change colour during the day because of the movement of the sun through the sky: sometimes it looks brown and early and late in the day, it looks red. Uluru is higher than the Shard building in London (350 metres tall). It is over 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. Uluru is the Aboriginal name for this rock. Aborigines are people who have lived in a location from the earliest times or before other people arrived, who often wanted to take over. It has been known as Ayers Rock since 1873. The rock was created over 600 million years ago and Aborigines have lived there for 10,000 years. Did you know? The rock was originally sand at the bottom of a large ocean. Climbing Uluru is discouraged as it is a special place for Aboriginal people. If people do climb, it is hard work, most of the sides go almost straight up. The top is flat. Uluru is covered with cracks, caves and valleys.

Suez Canal, Africa

The Suez Canal is in the North of the African continent in Egypt. It is located at the north end of the Red Sea, a tropical sea which leads into the Indian Ocean. Why is it called that? People disagree but one idea is because of the water changing colour from blue- green to reddish-brown every year. Why is it a world wonder? It opened in November 1869 and took ten years to build. It is a world wonder because it allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa. This means the distance is made shorter by over 4,000 miles. The canal is single lane and seawater flows into it. [See link in lesson plan Week 4 for extra information.] The ancient Egyptians built canals across Egypt and lots of people in history had planned to build it before. The first part was built with picks and shovels, but this was very slow. Steam and coal-powered shovels and dredgers finished the job. Did you know? The creator of New York’s Statue of Liberty wanted to build a statue by the side of the canal but it was never built. It was meant to be like one of the wonders of the ancient world (the Colossus of Rhodes).