CN Tower
At 553.33 metres (1,815.39 feet), the Canadian National Tower is the world's tallest free-standing land structure. The CN Tower is located in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is considered the signature icon of the city.
It was built in 1976 by Canadian National Railway (CN) who wanted to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry by building a tower taller than any other in the world. The tower was originally designed as a radio and television transmitting antenna. There are microwave receivers for distant signals at about 305 meters, and the top of the transmission antenna is at the apex of the tower.
At 342 m is the Glass Floor and Outdoor Observation Deck, at 346 m are Horizons Cafe and the Indoor Observation Deck, and at 351 m is the 360 Restaurant, which rotates once every 72 minutes.
The Sky Pod (a tiny enclosed platform elevated high above the main observation floor) is located at 447 m, and is the highest public observation deck in the world. Admission to the Sky Pod requires payment of an extra charge.
The CN Tower has been declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It also belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers.
There are many guyed towers taller than the CN Tower, the current tallest being the KVLY-TV tower in North Dakota at 628 m (2,063 feet) tall (see List of masts), but these are guy-wire supported structures and not classified as free-standing. The Petronius Compliant Tower (an oil platform) at 645 m (2116 feet), is a taller free-standing structure, but all but its top is under water. See World's tallest structures for further analysis of the tallest man-made structures.
On July 23, 1999 Ashrita Furman became the fastest person to go up the CN Tower using a Pogo stick.
More images of the CN Tower
See Also: List of towers, List of masts, Skyscraper