by Dyan Dalao

Created on: November 03, 2011   Last Updated: November 07, 2011

China (official name: People's Republic of China) is a country located in Eastern Asia. It is the biggest country that is entirely in Asia and the fourth largest in the world by area. Figures indicated on various sites as to the actual area of China vary, with the official figure placed at 9,600,000 (3,706,581 square miles).

With such a vast area, China boasts innumerable sites of great wonder - stunning structures of human work, magnificent natural landscapes, and water forms so great they intimidate the human imagination. Forty-one of these awe-inspiring places have been inscribed as

World Heritage sites by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in recognition of their outstanding universal value. The ten top or most popular World Heritage sites in China are listed below, in no particular order.

The Great Wall

A man-made work on such a colossal scale, the Great Wall is considered the longest architectural structure in the world. It stretches for 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles) across mountainous terrain, sandy desert and deeply wooded forest in 12 provinces (Liaoning, Jilin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and Qinghai), 2 cities (Beijing and Tianjin) and 3 autonomous regions (Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Xinjiang) in China. The wall follows a twisting, curving route that has been compared to the body of a dragon.

Construction of the wall dates back to at least the 5th century BC, during the historic period called the "Warring States". Built over a period of more than 2,000 years by millions of laborers and soldiers, the wall served both as a defensive fortification against invaders and a gateway to the mystery of the powerful Chinese Empire. The Great Wall was inscribed as one of China's World Heritage sites in 1987.

The Potala Palace

The majestic Potala Palace in the city of Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region stands like a colossal castle at the summit of the Red Hill, some 3,700 meters (12,139 feet) above sea level. The palace covers an area of 101 acres (41 hectares), is 119 meters (390 feet) high, and measures roughly 396 meters (1,300 feet) from end to end. Constructed on the site of a castle that was built in the 7th century, the Potala Palace, which was constructed in the 17th century, was originally a fortress palace of the Dalai Lamas and a site of divine pilgrimage for the resident monks.

The imposing size and remoteness of location of the Potala Palace contribute to the air of mystery that surrounds it. The

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