The Three Gorges Dam in China became fully operational
1 of 11
The final 32 generators of the Three Gorges Dam in China became operational last week. Its construction may have been beset with controversy, but the huge structure is nothing if not spectacular.
The dam - built on the Yangtze River and designed to reduce the risk of flooding during the peak rainfall season - is the world's largest hydropower project.
Working at full capacity, the dam creates as much energy as 15 nuclear power stations, from water power alone.
The Three Gorges Dam is a monumental act of human engineering, and to celebrate that, here are ten more, unsurpassed in ingenuity or scale.
* Video: Huge Ethiopian dam could destroy Kenyan lake
* Bing: More on the Three Gorges Dam
1
of
1
This species of whale has an unusual and mysterious tusk, once harvested and sold as a unicorn horn for 10 times its weight in gold.
Date 8 hrs ago, Duration 2:04, Views 323
Video by: National Geographic
Latest tech videos
-
Watch The Birth of a Tornado
Date 12 hrs ago 2:59Tooltip Information:
Watch The Birth of a TornadoVideo by:Description: May 21, 2013—Two days before a tornado—with winds clocked at 190 miles per hour—tore through suburban Oklahoma City on May 20, National Geographic explorer and storm researcher Tim Samaras captured this video of a tornado forming in south-central Kansas. Video courtesy Tim Samaras.Rating: 4Views: 709 -
Why Do These Women Stretch Their Necks?
Date 11 hrs ago 4:23Tooltip Information:
Why Do These Women Stretch Their Necks?Video by:Description: Starting at an early age, women of the Padaung tribe wear a coil of brass rings around their necks. This collar, and the elongated appearance it gives their necks over time, are Padaung symbols they wear proudly. In their native Myanmar, Padaung people often faced persecution over these visible tribal symbols. Now, having relocated to a Thailand refugee camp, these Padaung women continue this centuries-old custom, memorializing the struggles of the past and maintaining a link to their tribe's history.Rating: 4Views: 567
-
The Narwhal's Mysterious Tusk
Date 7 hrs ago 2:04Tooltip Information:
The Narwhal's Mysterious TuskVideo by:Description: This species of whale has an unusual and mysterious tusk, once harvested and sold as a unicorn horn for 10 times its weight in gold.Rating: 4Views: 238 -
Everest Tourism Changed Sherpa Lives
Date 13-05-23 4:34Tooltip Information:
Everest Tourism Changed Sherpa LivesVideo by:Description: The booming tourism industry aimed at putting people on the peak of Mt. Everest has radically changed the lives of Nepal's Sherpas. National Geographic Young Explorer and photographer Max Lowe recently spent two months in Nepal's Khumbu region, documenting some of those changes. Video and photos courtesy Max Lowe.Rating: 4Views: 591
Vote Now
Windows fits all aspects of my personal and professional life
Thanks for being one of the first people to vote. Results will be available soon. Check for results
- 36 %Agree
962 votes - 20 %Not sure
553 votes - 44 %Disagree
1,192 votes
Total Responses: 2,707
Not scientifically valid. Results are updated every minute.
