China Wall Greater than Previously Thought

The Great Wall of China is greater than previously thought, according to a recent technologically advanced survey of the World Heritage site.

China's most thorough investigation of the wall to date has shown that in the Ming Dynasty era, it stretched 8,851.8 km (5,500 miles), further than the previous estimate of around 6,000 km (3,700 miles).

According to the joint survey by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) and the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, the massive structure is comprised of 6,259.6 km of wall, 2,232.5 km of natural barriers such as rivers and mountains, as well as 359.7 km of trenches.