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| | [[Image:Great_wall.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The Great Wall Of China. Image by [http://philip.greenspun.com/ Philip Greenspun]]] | | [[Image:Great_wall.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The Great Wall Of China. Image by [http://philip.greenspun.com/ Philip Greenspun]]] |
| − | Popular legend has it that the '''Great Wall of China''' is a long wall located in [[China]]. However, according to MSN Encarta, the Great Wall of China "is not a single, continuous structure. Rather, it consists of a network of walls and towers that leaves the frontier open in places. Estimates of the total length of the monument vary, depending on which sections are included and how they are measured."<ref>MSN Encarta Encyclopedia, entry for ''Great Wall (China)''[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569621/Great_Wall_(China).html]</ref> | + | Popular legend has it that the '''Great Wall of China''' is a long wall located in [[China]]. |
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| − | It was constructed in ancient times to act as a barrier. It is about 4,000 miles long and at several points it is more than 20 feet tall. Despite its massive size, the Great Wall of China was not a success; it didn't keep the northern invaders out of China as they merely bribed their way across. | + | It was constructed in ancient times to act as a barrier against unlawful trespass. It is about 4,000 miles long and at several points it is more than 20 feet tall. |
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| | Work on the wall started in 500 BC during the rule of the first Chinese emperor, [[Qin Shi Huang]], and continued for 2,000 years. Most of the work was done during the [[Ming Dynasty]]. At regular intervals towers were built; at first they functioned purely as watchtowers but later on they were modified to include [[cannon]]s and defenses against aerial attacks. | | Work on the wall started in 500 BC during the rule of the first Chinese emperor, [[Qin Shi Huang]], and continued for 2,000 years. Most of the work was done during the [[Ming Dynasty]]. At regular intervals towers were built; at first they functioned purely as watchtowers but later on they were modified to include [[cannon]]s and defenses against aerial attacks. |
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| | According to NASA director Adnan Lulla, "A lot has been said and written about how visible the wall is. In fact, it is very, very difficult to distinguish the Great Wall of China in astronaut photography, because the materials that were used in the wall are similar in color and texture to the materials of the land surrounding the wall -- the dirt." <ref>http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html</ref> | | According to NASA director Adnan Lulla, "A lot has been said and written about how visible the wall is. In fact, it is very, very difficult to distinguish the Great Wall of China in astronaut photography, because the materials that were used in the wall are similar in color and texture to the materials of the land surrounding the wall -- the dirt." <ref>http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html</ref> |
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| | [[Image:Wall China.gif|left]] | | [[Image:Wall China.gif|left]] |