The World's Tallest Man-Made StructureKnown for being overstated and decadent in a number of ways, Dubai outdid itself in January 2010, when it officially opened the Burj Dubai, a 2,717-ft. (828 m) tower that is the tallest man-made structure in the world. But the glory of the title was mired in a tough reality: just a few weeks prior, Dubai's biggest state-owned development company said it was unable to pay its debts. So it came as little surprise that the Burj Dubai was soon renamed the Burj Khalifa, after Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, who presented Dubai with $10 billion to help pay off its debts. Despite the obvious irony of the Burj Khalifa representing wealth where there was a decided lack, people still flocked to visit the tower. But even though Dubai is still dealing with its economic issues, the emirate can boast having the tallest occupied floor in the world, the world's highest restaurant, the world's highest fireworks display and an elevator with the longest travel distance in the world.
The World's Highest Swimming Pool
The pool at the top of Hong Kong's International Commerce Centre should probably serve up altitude-sickness medicine with its pool towels. That's because the pool, part of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, is roughly 1,600-ft. (490 m) off the ground. Opened in March 2011, the infinity-style amenity comes complete with LED screens that cover the ceiling and one wall so visitors can enjoy a view of coral reefs and peaceful skies, as well as the (real) Victoria Harbor below, while they swim.
The World's Tallest Clock Tower
Mecca's Abraj al-Bait Towers aren't so much towers as they are a multibuilding skyscraper complex that includes a hotel, residential apartments and a shopping mall. The architectural monstrosity isn't finished yet, but when it's completed, it will be the largest building in Saudi Arabia and it will boast the tallest clock tower in the world. The $3 billion complex is located directly across from the al-Haram Mosque, which houses Islam's most sacred site: the black, cubelike Kaaba. Abraj al-Bait's four-sided clock — similar in design to the Westminster Clock in London — is reportedly visible for more than 15 miles (25 km). Construction on the entire project was originally due to be completed in 2009, but the towers endured several setbacks (including two fires) and are now scheduled to be finished in 2011. The clock has been up and running since August 2010.
The World's Tallest Ferris Wheel l
Constructed between 2005 and 2008, the Singapore Flyer dwarfs every other observation wheel in the world. At a height of 541 ft. (164 m), it is 16 ft. (5 m) taller than the Star of Nanchang in China and 98 ft. (30 m) taller than the London Eye. A ride in one of its 28 air-conditioned capsules, which can comfortably hold 28 people, will run you $25 — a fee that should guarantee the popular ride will eventually make back its $200 million price tag. Yet despite its popularity, tourists beware: the wheel has broken down four times since it opened, once stranding 173 passengers for six hours without air-conditioning in the overwhelmingly humid country.
The World's Tallest Twin Buildings
Kuala Lumpur's iconic Petronas Twin Towers were designed by an Argentine and built by Japanese and Korean contractors, but the structures are staunchly rooted in Malaysian culture. The towers borrow from the Islamic tradition, Malaysia's national religion, in their orderly repetition of steel and glass on the buildings' facade; the crowning spires atop hearken back to the minarets that adorn mosques the world over. The towers, which opened in 1998, held the title of world's tallest buildings until the completion of Taipei 101 in 2004. Named for the state-owned gas company Petronas, which inhabits Tower 1, both towers stretch 1,483 ft. (452 m) into the sky. But the towers do not merely stand aside each other; like many of their twinned brethren, a sky bridge connects the two towers halfway up the buildings. But despite their magnificent design, the height is somewhat deceiving. The buildings only have 88 floors, quite paltry given their height. That's because the Petronas Towers' listed height is padded by the 241-ft. (74 m) spires that adorn their tops.
The World's Tallest Green Building
Having been surpassed by the Burj Khalifa on virtually every level, the world's second tallest building, Taipei 101, needed something to set it apart. Enter the Green On campaign, an effort to conserve energy and promote recycling in the building. Their efforts were made official on July 28, 2011, when the 1,670-ft. (509 m) skyscraper received LEED Platinum Certification. The honor, bestowed by the U.S. Green Building Council, validates Taipei 101 as the tallest green building in the world — and again gives the tower something to boast about. As a result of the initiative, which includes a water-recycling system on the roof, the building's energy consumption is reportedly some 30% lower than that of an average building of its size.
America's Tallest Building
For 25 years, the skyscraper formerly known as the Sears Tower kept a watchful eye over a bustling Chicago skyline as the unrivaled tallest building in the world. Completed in 1973 by Sears, Roebuck & Co., the 108-story structure lost its world title in 1998 to the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, and it was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009 when a London-based insurance broker purchased the building's rights. Still, the massive structure remains famous for its superlative size and former name, and has thus attracted its fair share of crazies: in 1981, a man donning little more than a Spiderman suit and suction cups first scaled the entirety of the glass building's 1451-ft (442 m) exterior. And he certainly wasn't the last to attempt the feat.
The World's Tallest Tomb
Although in A.D. 1300 the spire of the London Cathedral replaced the Khufu Pyramid of Egypt's Giza Necropolis as the tallest man-made structure, at 481 ft. (147 m) the Great Pyramid of Giza, as the Khufu tomb is famously known, had held the title for 3,800 years. And if that weren't astounding enough, the Giza Necropolis, dating back to the 4th Egyptian dynasty, is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence. Still not enough? A pharaoh's remains are housed in the pyramid to this day. Enough said.
The World's Tallest Minaret
If you visit the Hassan II Mosque just to see the world's tallest minaret, you're selling yourself way short. Built on a promontory on the edge of Casablanca, the Hassan II Mosque can hold 25,000 worshippers and another 80,000 on its grounds. Half of the mosque lies on reclaimed land over the Atlantic Ocean and part of the mosque's floor is made of glass so worshippers can kneel and pray directly over the sea. But at 689 ft. (210 m) the Hassan II's minaret is an important architectural entity in its own right. Minarets traditionally serve as the vantage point from which the calls to prayer are made five times a day. The Hassan II's minaret is not only the tallest minaret in the world but also the tallest structure in Morocco. At night, lasers shine a beam from the minaret toward Mecca "to point the way to God," ensuring that visitors to Casablanca and the surrounding areas always know the direction of Islam's holiest city.
The World's Highest Observation Deck
Starting on the 100th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center — the tallest building in China and the third tallest in the world — the three-floor observation deck towers 1,555 ft (474 m) above the sprawling metropolis at its highest point. Opened to the public in August 2008, the deck offers a breathtaking urban views that put the observation points at Guangzhou's Canton Tower and Dubai's Burj Khalifa to shame (the second and third tallest observation decks, respectively). Angled glass walls give the illusion of leaning over the bustling streets of the city's Pudong district, but tickets still cost a relatively inexpensive $23.30.
