Tour Eiffel

The Eiffel Tower is located on the Left Bank of the River Seine, at the northwestern extreme of the Parc du Champ de Mars.

This was the tallest man-made structure on earth until the Chrysler Building was completed in New York in 1930.

The inclined elevators travel over 100,000 kilometres (62,000 miles) each year.

From 1926 to 1936 the tower was decked in coloured lights which included advertisements for the Citroën car manufacturer.

In 1969 a small ice skating rink was opened on the lower platform; it reopened in December 2004.

The Eiffel Tower was the world's first structure to reach and exceed 1,000 feet in height.

The structure is repainted every seven years with 50 tons of paint.

The total original height in 1889 was 312.27 meters, including the flagpole.

In 1957 a new transmission antenna raised the total height to 320.75 meters.

In 2000 a new antenna raised the total height from 318.7 m to 324.0 m.

Construction began January 1887, and foundations were completed on June 30 of the same year.

The first floor was completed on April 1, 1888, and the second floor on August 14, 1888.

Paris - Eiffel Tower, a replica over half the original's height, was built in 1999 on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Eiffel Tower is not only Paris' most famous icon but is also an internationally recognisable symbol of France and is one of the world's most famous structures.

The metal frame weighs 7,300 tons whilst the total weight is 10,000 tons.

In 2006, 6,719,200 people visited the tower.

The lantern on top of the structure was completed March 31, 1889 and was lit with powerful electric floodlights, a hit of the 1889 Universal Exposition.

Incorporated into the tower's second level at 125 metres (410 feet) is the famous Jules Verne Restaurant, managed by Alain Ducasse, which is accessed by its own private elevator in the south pier.

The Eiffel Tower was the inspiration for both Blackpool Tower and the King's Dominion Eiffel Tower.

To date, the tower has changed colour six times.

Rivets used were of the type employed in locomotive boilers.

The tower was originally built for the Universal Exposition which celebrated the centenary of the French Revolution.

The total construction period was 2 years, 2 months and 5 days.

Contraction and expansion caused by changes in temperature result in a height variation of 18 centimetres (7 inches).

Around 5,300 schematics were produced by 50 engineers and designers, 100 ironnworkers fabricated the tower's 18,038 components whilst 121 men worked on the site.

Wind causes the top of the tower to sway by as much as 7 centimetres (2.7 inches).