March 29, 2007

20th century wonders

Our seven wonders of the 20th century are all heroic works of architecture and engineering: if you can't get to see them all, our gallery is the next best thing.

Syndey Opera House — Sydney, Australia: Danish architect Jorn Utzon designed this Australian icon after winning a competition in 1957. But it was 1961 before he found the solution to building the complex roof and 1973 before the project was completed. Photograph: Corbis

Golden Gate Bridge — San Francisco, US: The Golden Gate bridge. The Golden Gate is a suspension bridge spanning the opening into San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. It took four years to build and was completed in 1937. It is 2,737m long, 27m wide, and its towers rise 227m above the water. Photograph: Gabriel Bouys/AFP

Channel Tunnel — 2.4 Channel tunnels (cost: £10bn) Photograph: PA

Folkestone, UK: Vehicles approach the entrance of the Channel tunnel — Folkestone, UK: Vehicles approach the entrance of the Channel tunnel, which is actually three parallel tunnels - two rail tunnels and a service tunnel. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty

Empire State building — New York, US: The Empire State building and the Manhattan skyline are seen in this photograph taken just after sunset from observation deck at Rockefeller Center. Completed in 1931, its opening coincided with the Great Depression and much of the office space did not get let - so the building became known as the Empty State Building. Since the destruction of the World Trade Centre, the Empire State Building is once again the tallest building in New York city. Photograph: Mary Altaffer/AP

Panama canal — Panama Canal, Panama: Ships sail in the Miraflores lock of the Panama Canal. The canal, built between 1904 and 1914, has allowed 922,000 ships to cross the Central American isthmus, avoiding the lengthy trip around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America. Photograph: Teresita Chavarria/AFP

Petronas Towers — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The 88-story Petronas twin towers. The architectural towers, inspired by the Five Pillars of Islam, are the centerpiece of Kuala Lumpur city centre. At the time of their construction the towers were the tallest in the world. Photograph: Chris Hondros/Getty

Hoover Dam — Nevada, US: Water starts to flow from the lower jet flow gates at Hoover Dam near Boulder City. Work began on this 221m-high concrete arch-gravity dam in 1931. It was designed to prevent the flooding of the Colorado River, which threatened farming communities. Photograph: Lennox McLendon/AP

Hoover Dam — Nevada, US: A satellite image of the Hoover Dam, which supplies water and electricity to much of the south-western US. Photograph: Digital Globe/Getty

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