EIFFEL TOWER
EIFFEL TOWER The Eiffel Tower (French: La Tour Eiffel, [tuʁ ɛfɛl] ) is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris . It was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel , whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair , it was initially criticised by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 6.98 million people ascended it in 2011. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010. The tower is 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the...