China`s Great Wall is `even longer`

The Great Wall of China has been officially declared even longer than previously thought, state-run media report.The wall measures 21,196.18km (13,170.6956 miles) long based on the latest state survey results, state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. A preliminary study released in 2009 estimated the wall to be 8,850km long. The world`s largest man-made structure was built to protect China`s northern border. This is the first time such a definitive figure has been released, Xinhua reports. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage released the results based on an archaeological survey done since 2007.

Previous estimates of the wall`s length were mainly based on historical records. Tong Mingkang, deputy chief, said that the survey revealed a total of 43,721 heritage sites that included stretches of the Great Wall, reports Xinhua. Known to the Chinese as the "Long Wall of 10,000 Li", the Great Wall is a series of walls and earthen works begun in 500BC and first linked up under Qin Shi Huang in about 220BC. Only 8.2% of the original wall remains intact, with the rest in poor condition, according to the report. It was listed as a Unesco world heritage site in 1987.


/BBC/