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Our world is already full of amazing structures that leave us in awe, but, as is the nature of human beings, we always want something bigger and better. Therefore, we keep coming up with new, extreme engineering ideas which make that which came before pale into insignificance. The following giant infrastructure projects have reshaped or are reshaping our world and prove that human ingenuity knows no bounds.
China's Pingtang telescope was completed in September 2016, and is now the world's largest radio telescope. The dish itself measures an incredible 1,640 feet across and it is capable of picking up signals from more than 1,000 light-years from earth.
The Gothard Base Tunnel opened in Switzerland on 1st June, 2016. This tunnel, which took 17 years to complete, at 35 miles long, is the longest and deepest train tunnel in the world. It provides fast and efficient traveling through the Alps.
The expansion of the Panama Canal was finished in early June, 102 years after it first opened. This remarkable feat of engineering cost $5.4 billion and needed 40,000 workers to triple its capacity.
In 2026, the Iraqi skyscraper, The Bride, will be complete. It will contain a veil of solar panels that will help it produce as much energy as it consumes. It will be around 3,779 feet tall and will have parks, offices, restaurants and, even a rail system.
Completed in 2011, China's Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, at 26 miles long, is the world's longest cross-sea bridge. It cut the travel time for people going from east China to the island of Huangdao in half.
The Itaipu Dam, situated on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, generated 89.5 Twh of energy in 2015, the most of any dam in the world. It supplies 75% of Paraguay's energy and 20% of Brazil's.
The London Crossrail project - a huge upgrade to the current Underground system - is the largest construction project that has ever been undertaken in Europe. The upgrade includes 10 new train lines and connects 30 existing stations via new tunnels. It will begin service in 2017 (date unknown), and will be fully operational by 2020.
The Hyderabad Metro Rail is 46 miles long and it will bring communication-based train control to India. It is scheduled to be completed in 2017.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will provide a link between three cities in China's Pearl River Delta. This will create one mega-city of 42 million people when it is completed in 2017.
Dubai's Mall of the World, when it is completed in 2029, will be 9 times bigger than the Mall of America. It will contain thousands of hotel rooms, and will even have its own transit line.
Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, is planning to create smart cities throughout the US - redeveloped areas with complete internet access, the latest automated technology and renewable energy.
Saudi Arabia's new $23.5 billion rail line, the Riyadh Metro, will contain a station designed by Zaha Hadid. This railway, all 109 miles of it, will revolutionize how the residents of Riyadh get around. The operation to build this is due to start in 2019.
Songdo, in South Korea, is a "smart city" located on 1,500 acres of waterfront land. It was completed in 2015, and its near-comprehensive internet access gives its residents a taste of future society.
The South-North Water Transfer Project is China's ongoing attempt to move 45 billion cubic feet of water from the Yangtze River to the country's less fertile regions in the North.
This 20-year-old project is a far-reaching plan to demolish 7 million buildings and replace them with earthquake-resistant structures. This project was begun in 2012 and it is estimated that it will cost $400 billion.
China's Pingtang telescope was completed in September 2016, and is now the world's largest radio telescope. The dish itself measures an incredible 1,640 feet across and it is capable of picking up signals from more than 1,000 light-years from earth.
The Gothard Base Tunnel opened in Switzerland on 1st June, 2016. This tunnel, which took 17 years to complete, at 35 miles long, is the longest and deepest train tunnel in the world. It provides fast and efficient traveling through the Alps.
The expansion of the Panama Canal was finished in early June, 102 years after it first opened. This remarkable feat of engineering cost $5.4 billion and needed 40,000 workers to triple its capacity.
In 2026, the Iraqi skyscraper, The Bride, will be complete. It will contain a veil of solar panels that will help it produce as much energy as it consumes. It will be around 3,779 feet tall and will have parks, offices, restaurants and, even a rail system.
Completed in 2011, China's Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, at 26 miles long, is the world's longest cross-sea bridge. It cut the travel time for people going from east China to the island of Huangdao in half.
The Itaipu Dam, situated on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, generated 89.5 Twh of energy in 2015, the most of any dam in the world. It supplies 75% of Paraguay's energy and 20% of Brazil's.
The London Crossrail project - a huge upgrade to the current Underground system - is the largest construction project that has ever been undertaken in Europe. The upgrade includes 10 new train lines and connects 30 existing stations via new tunnels. It will begin service in 2017 (date unknown), and will be fully operational by 2020.
The Hyderabad Metro Rail is 46 miles long and it will bring communication-based train control to India. It is scheduled to be completed in 2017.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will provide a link between three cities in China's Pearl River Delta. This will create one mega-city of 42 million people when it is completed in 2017.
Dubai's Mall of the World, when it is completed in 2029, will be 9 times bigger than the Mall of America. It will contain thousands of hotel rooms, and will even have its own transit line.
Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, is planning to create smart cities throughout the US - redeveloped areas with complete internet access, the latest automated technology and renewable energy.
Saudi Arabia's new $23.5 billion rail line, the Riyadh Metro, will contain a station designed by Zaha Hadid. This railway, all 109 miles of it, will revolutionize how the residents of Riyadh get around. The operation to build this is due to start in 2019.
Songdo, in South Korea, is a "smart city" located on 1,500 acres of waterfront land. It was completed in 2015, and its near-comprehensive internet access gives its residents a taste of future society.
The South-North Water Transfer Project is China's ongoing attempt to move 45 billion cubic feet of water from the Yangtze River to the country's less fertile regions in the North.
This 20-year-old project is a far-reaching plan to demolish 7 million buildings and replace them with earthquake-resistant structures. This project was begun in 2012 and it is estimated that it will cost $400 billion.
