Great Wall even greater than previously thought

A survey from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage has revealed that the Great Wall of China is over 5,000 miles longer than currently estimated.

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 figure of around 6,000 km (3,700 miles).

Despite its name, The Great Wall also incorporates 2,232.5 km of natural barriers such as rivers and mountains, as well as 359.7 km of trenches.