Using distinctive landmarks to showcase a city (or in some cases, a country) has long been a convenient device for advertisers, film directors and cartographers. Famous structures and monuments serve as eye-catching signposts, effective geographical logos, and orientation points for your index finger when you're reading a map.
Landmarks range from important historical relics, such as the Parthenon and the Great Wall of China, to natural geographical features such as Mt Fuji and Niagara Falls. They also include relatively recent technological marvels (Eiffel Tower, Petronas Towers), seats of power (the White House), churches (St. Peter's Basilica, Hagia Sophia), cultural complexes (Sydney Opera House, La Scala), statues/monuments (Statue of Liberty, Washington Obelisk), ruins of past civilizations (Machu Picchu, Pyramid of Giza), and even baffling structures (the Stonehenge).
For sheer identifiability, this brief discourse shall concentrate on a few landmarks (in no particular order) that loom largely in the popular psyche.
- The Eiffel Tower
In France there's a saying that goes "All roads lead to Paris". Well, when you're in Paris it's nigh impossible to ignore the Eiffel Tower. Long the aesthetic centerpiece of memorable movie scenes, postcards, book covers and travel brochures, this 320-meter structure (named after it's chief designer Gustave Eiffel) was completed and inaugurated in 1889. And with the city leaders' regulatory aversion towards construction of buildings taller than 37 meters in Paris proper (the 1977 ban on such structures was recently renewed), it looks like this grand Parisienne's 'looming' preeminence over its surroundings is assured for many years to come.
[Featured in: A View to a Kill, Superman II, French Kiss] - The Parthenon (Athens, Greece)
There is certainly more to Athens than the Parthenon, but one must admit that it's hard to imagine Athens without its venerable presence. Long a magnet for curious tourists and scholars, this roughly 2,500-year-old building still stands as a centerpiece of the Acropolis, the elevated section that stands above the rest of the city. Built during the time of the famous Athenian statesman, Pericles, this historical structure was originally dedicated to the goddess Athena, the city's patroness. Considered as the finest achievement of Greek architecture (particularly of the Doric order), it draws millions of visitors each year.
[Featured in: Never Say Never, Olympia] - The Clock Tower (London, UK)
A distinctive fixture of London's cityscape, this turret clock structure (Victorian Gothic style) is more popularly known as "Big Ben" (or Great Bell of Westminster) and is located in the northeastern end of the Houses of Parliament. Standing at 96.3 meters and situated at the banks of the Thames River, it also serves as a focal point for the New Year's celebrations in England.
[Featured in: V for Vendetta, Peter Pan, Shanghai Knights] - The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China (GWC) is one of a few landmarks that people readily associate with an entire country. In fact, you need only say the first 2 words -- somebody else would automatically supply the rest. The longest structure ever built by man (even visible if you're on the moon according to some urban myth), GWC, although only a few meters wide, is 6,352 km long and has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Built originally as a defensive fortification in 3rd century BC, and later extended by various emperors from different dynasties, GWC continues to attract thousands of sightseers each year. - St Peter's Basilica (Vatican City)
This world-famous cathedral serves as the preeminent house of worship for the world's Roman Catholics. Construction of this centuries-old building lasted from 1506 to 1626, enjoining the talents of such famous architects/artists/sculptors as Bernini, Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, etc. As the nucleus of the world's smallest independent state, the church covers an area of 23,000 sq. mts. and can accommodate more than 60,000 people. Other attractions that continue to lure a multitude of visitors to this venue include the church's iconic dome (designed by Michelangelo), its solemn, ornate interiors, and various other historical artifacts and priceless works of art.
[Featured in: In the Footsteps of Peter - vol. VIII: Vatican City and the Great Basilica] - Statue of Liberty (New York, USA)
Standing majestically and peering out of Liberty Island, this 93-meter copper statue has served as both a literal and figurative symbol of hope for many immigrants who have come to America's shores in search of a better life. Transported in sections to the United States (as a gift from France in commemoration of its centennial) in 1885, this famous statue was a handiwork of French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi.
[Featured in: Ghostbusters, X-Men 2, Peter Pan, Saboteur]
