The Great Wall began construction during the Qin Dynasty (22 bc to 206 bc), under the first sovereign Emperor of China, Qin Shihuang. It was formed from other defensive walls joined together.
The wall is made from stone, rocks, bricks, and packed-earth, and is 4.5 to 9 meters wide and up to 7.5 meters high. It was bulit by over a million peasants, slaves and prisoners. It was to dangerous work, and thousand of three builders died while on the job. Their bodies were added to rubble inside the wall.
The Great Wall extensively repaired during the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368 to AD 1644), in an attemot to keep put mongolian invaders. There are approximately 7,300 kilometers of wall in total, although many sections have now dissapeared. This makes it the longest construction ever bulid.
The Great Wall may be vast but, contary to popular legend, it cannot be seen by astronauts on the surface of the moon.
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