The Great Wall of China

History of the Great Wall of China

• The wall's construction began in 220 b.c.
• The wall was made to keep out Mongolian barbarians
• The wall was further developed throughout other empires
• Emperor Qin Shi Huang began the construction of the wall
• An estimated 400,000 workers died during the consruction of the wall

Geographical Features

• The  wall stretches 8,851.8 kilometers from east to west
• The Great Wall of China covers deserts, grasslands, and mountains
• It was not only made up of walls , but also trenches
• It is surrounded by trees and it was built on high mountains.
• The Great Wall can be seen from space at a certain angle.

Geographical Features (continued)

• The Great Wall of China measures around 52 feet or 16 meters in height
• The Great Wall  is narrow, but it is long and has many twists and turns.
• The Great Wall of China goes from altitudes to high and low, and travels through many villages.
• The great wall goes from sections under sea level to over 500 meters.

Materials Used for Building the Wall

• Tile
• Stone
• Dirt
• Limestone
• These materials were gathered by workers.

The Use of The Great Wall
The Great Wall of China was created to protect China from invaders. The Chinese Empire lasted for a long time, due to these walls ability to protect the empire. The walls do not continue to serve this purpose, as China no longer has people invading it on a regular basis. They are from a time in the past when protection was needed. These days, China benifits from tourisum to the Great Wall, making millions of dollars every year

How The Great Wall Relates to the Gate of Ishtar
The Great Wall of China served a different purpose than the gate of Ishtar. The gate of Ishtar did surround the area of Babylon, but did not serve as much of a protective purpose like the Great Wall of China. It's purpose was to honor the gods and show all of the Babylonians wealth. The Great Wall of China also flows through China, but it does not surround China.

Fun Facts

• The Great Wall of China has a phone number!
• Glutinous rice flour was used in making the binding material.
• It is the Largest Wall to ever be constructed.
• the length of all the Great Wall built over thousands of years measures more than half of the equator.
• The wall was built by convicts and soldiers.

Resources

• http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/438
• http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china
• http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/
• http://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/
• http://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/fact/