The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River in Paris , a global icon of France; one of the most recognizable structures in the world. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel , whose company designed and built the tower.
The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The top level's upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground – the highest observation deck accessible to the public in the European Union . Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift (elevator) to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the climb from the first level to the second. Although there is a staircase to the top level, it is usually only accessible by lift.

Fact on The Eiffel tower

1. Completed on March 31, 1889, the tower was the world’s tallest man-made structure for 41 years until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930.

2. It is 324 metres tall (including antennas) and weighs 10,100 tonnes.

3. It was the tallest structure in France until the construction of a military transmitter in the town of Saissac in 1973. The Millau Viaduct, completed in 2004, is also taller, at 343 metres.

4. It is possible to climb to the top, but there are 1,665 steps. Most people take the lift.

5. During cold weather the tower shrinks by about six inches.

6. Since its opening almost 250 million people have visited the tower.

7. Today the tower welcomes almost 7 million people a year, making it the most visited paid-for monument in the world.

8. Its construction took two years, two months and five days - 180 years fewer than Paris's other great attraction, Notre Dame.

9. There are a number of other replicas around the world, including one in Las Vegas and one at the Window of the World theme park in Shenzhen, China.

10. French car manufacturer Citroen used the tower as a giant billboard between 1925 and 1934 – the company name was emblazoned on the tower using a quarter of a million light bulbs – and was recorded as the world’s biggest advertisement by the Guinness Book of Records.

11. The tower comprises 18,000 metallic parts, joined together by 2.5 million rivets.

12. To mark the 125th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower’s completion last year the British Virgin Islands has launched a special tower-shaped $10 coin.

13. Gustave Eiffel kept a small apartment of the third floor for entertaining friends. It is now open to the public.

14. The Eiffel Tower and Margaret Thatcher share the same nickname - La Dame de Fer ("The Iron Lady").

15. The names of 72 engineers, scientists and mathematicians are engraved on the side of the tower, each of whom contributed to its construction.

16. There are 20,000 lightbulbs used on the Eiffel Tower to make it sparkle every night.

17. Ever wanted to build your own Eiffel Tower? There's a LEGO set for that - number 10181 (it contains 3,428 bricks).

18. It costs €15 to take the lift to the top.

19. The majoirty of visitors (10.4%) are French, following by Italy and Spain (8.1% each), USA (7.9%), Britain (7.4%), Germany (5.8%) and Brazil (5.5%).

An aspiring travel photographer.

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