How long is the Great Wall of China?
That number is up for debate. Some historians put the length of the Great Wall at anywhere between 1,500 and 2,600 miles, spanning from western Jiayuguan, past the Gobi Desert, over the Yellow River, past Beijing and through to Shanhaiguan on the Bohai Sea. If you ask other historians how long is the Great Wall of China, they may tell you that the length of the Wall is actually closer to 4,000 miles. From its lowest point in the desert, parts of the wall reached heights of over 6,000 feet. Today, fragments of the Wall in various states of disrepair line the countryside of northern China.
he Great Wall stretches over approximately 6,400 km (4,000 miles) from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia, but stretches to over 6,700 km (4,160 miles) in total. Source: http://en.wikipedia.
As many dynasties in Chinese history built, rebuilt or extended the Great Wall. The latest construction took place in Ming Dynasty and the length built was over 6,000 kilometers. This is the one often referred to when we talk about the Great Wall. However, if including all the walls built in different dynasties around China, the total length will exceed 50,000 kilometers. The Great Wall is not just a wall. Other defensive works such as forts, passes and beacon towers were built along the Wall to house auxiliary soldiers, store grain and weapons, and transmit military information. As a product of the clashes between agricultural and nomadic economies, the Great Wall provided protection to the economic development and cultural progress, safeguarded the trading routes such as the Silk Road, and secured transmission of information and transportation. Today the world has completely changed. No wall can withhold the progress that modern science has brought about in our life. The Great Wall h
