Can you answer these questions about some of the most famous landmarks in the world?
The Statue of Liberty is located on what island?
Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty is located, was long known as Bedloe’s Island until a federal act by Congress renamed it in 1956.
How many works of art are on display at the Louvre in Paris?
The Louvre has over 380,000 objects and 35,000 works of art on display in its 652,000 square foot facility.
Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is found in what country?
Uluru (which means “island mountain”) is found in Australia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The large sandstone rock formation sits in the central part of Australia and is sacred to the Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area, and they don’t climb the rock since it is considered sacred. Uluru is known for how it glows red at sunrise and sunset as the sun hits the sandstone.
How many floors does the Empire State Building in New York City have?
102. The Empire State Building is the fifth tallest building in the United States, and it ranks third on having the most floors. The tallest building in the U.S., One World Trade Center, also in New York City, has 104 floors, but the second tallest building, Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), in Chicago, has the most floors in the U.S. at 108. Incidentally, the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, has 163 floors.
The Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the model for Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland, is found in what country?
Neuschwanstein Castle is located in Bavaria, Germany, and was built in the 19th century. It was never completely finished during its construction, but if it had, it would have had 200 interior rooms. Only about 15 rooms and halls were ever fully completed.
The “Hollywood” sign was originally built to advertise what?
The famous Hollywood sign was first put up in 1923 with the words “HOLLYWOODLAND” to advertise a new housing development above the Hollywood District of Chinatown. The “LAND” was dropped in 1949 when the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce started a contract with the LA Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign. It was shortened to “Hollywood” to represent the district, not the housing development.
The Rock of Gibraltar is the property of, and in the territory of, what country?
Even though the rock sits at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula of Spain, the Rock of Gibraltar is the property of the United Kingdom in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It has been in control of the United Kingdom since 1713.
This iconic landmark in Chicago is called what?
The sculpture was designed by Anish Kapoor and was nicknamed by the public and media when it was constructed as “The Bean”, much to the chagrin of Kapoor. He later named it Cloud Gate. The sculpture is the centerpiece of AT&T Plaza at Millennium Park and was made of 168 stainless steel plates that were welded together without any seams showing.
Hagia Sophia is located in what city and country?
The Hagia Sophia is in Istanbul, Turkey, and was constructed on the site of a pagan temple in 325 by Constantine I. It became a cathedral and later a mosque. It was converted to a museum in 1935 until the Turkish government made the controversial decision to convert it back to a mosque in July 2020. The name means “holy wisdom.”
The Atomium in Brussels, Belgium, represents what type of molecule that has been magnified 165 billion times?
The Atomium was designed and constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. It’s the shape of a unit cell for an iron crystal that has been magnified. It wasn’t supposed to survive past the 1958 Expo, but its popularity grew, and it became a landmark of the city. The Atomium is now a museum.
This famous clock tower in London is officially known by what name?
Though the clock tower is often referred to as Big Ben, the tower is officially called the Elizabeth Tower, and was named in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Big Ben is the name of the bell in the tower and not the tower itself, like many believe. The tower’s original name prior to this was the Clock Tower.
