Earth World learning pack

World Wonders

Visit five remarkable places shaped by people.

Five source-backed discoveries about extraordinary cultural heritage sites around the world.

Discovery 01

Great Wall of China

A vast network of ancient defences

💡 The Great Wall system stretches for more than 20,000 kilometres!

It is not one unbroken wall, but a huge network built and rebuilt by different Chinese states and empires.

Fact 2: Construction continued from about the 3rd century BCE to the 17th century CE.
Fact 3: Its main features include walls, horse tracks, watchtowers, shelters, fortresses, and passes.
Fact 4: Different sections were built from materials including rammed earth, stone, and brick.
Fact 5: UNESCO added the Great Wall to the World Heritage List in 1987.

Discovery 02

A rose-red city carved into rock

💡 Petra is half-built and half-carved into sandstone cliffs!

The Nabataeans shaped tombs and temples directly into the red rock while also constructing freestanding buildings.

Fact 2: Petra lies in Jordan between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea.
Fact 3: It became an important caravan centre linking Arabia, Egypt, and Syria-Phoenicia.
Fact 4: Channels, tunnels, dams, cisterns, and reservoirs helped people save scarce seasonal rain.
Fact 5: Petra was the Nabataean capital and contains remains from prehistoric through medieval times.

Discovery 03

An Inca city high in the Andes

💡 Machu Picchu stands about 2,430 metres above sea level!

The stone city sits on a steep ridge where the Andes meet the upper Amazon Basin in Peru.

Fact 2: The Inca built Machu Picchu in the 15th century.
Fact 3: The site contains about 200 religious, ceremonial, astronomical, agricultural, and residential structures.
Fact 4: Stone terraces cross the steep slopes and helped organize farming areas.
Fact 5: The city was abandoned during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in the 16th century.

Discovery 04

A marble monument built in memory of love

💡 The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum made famous by its white marble!

Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ordered it built in Agra, India, in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Fact 2: Construction of the main mausoleum began in 1632 and was completed in 1648.
Fact 3: The wider complex, including its outer courtyard, was completed by 1653.
Fact 4: The complex stands in a Mughal garden of nearly 17 hectares beside the Yamuna River.
Fact 5: Its decoration includes marble relief work and inlays of precious and semi-precious stones.

Discovery 05

A great Maya-Toltec city

💡 Chichén Itzá grew beside natural wells called cenotes!

These underground water-filled cavities helped people obtain water in the limestone landscape of Yucatán, Mexico.

Fact 2: The city’s history spans nearly 1,000 years, and different peoples shaped its buildings and art.
Fact 3: El Castillo is also called the Temple of Kukulkan.
Fact 4: El Caracol is a circular building associated with observing the sky.
Fact 5: The site also contains the Great Ball Court and the Temple of the Warriors.