Mondo Knows Facts
The Great Wall of China measures over 21,000 kilometres
That total counts every branch, trench and natural barrier in the system
A state survey completed in 2012 put the total length of all Great Wall sections at 21,196 kilometres, including walls, trenches and the ridges and rivers used as natural defences. The best-known brick and stone sections date from the Ming dynasty, but earlier walls were built of rammed earth. Much of the system has eroded away.
Where this comes from
Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
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Tags: great wall, china, architecture
The Great Wall of China measures over 21,000 kilometres: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- That total counts every branch, trench and natural barrier in the system. The figure is taken from UNESCO, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a records & extremes fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.