Some mistakes had disastrous consequences
Originally known as Boulder Dam, it was renamed for President Herbert Hoover in 1947.
Dams represent some of the grandest examples of civil engineering on the planet. Indeed, these mighty blockades mesmerize in their sheer size and immense capacity. Designed to create hydroelectricity or simply to control water flow, dams stand as modern wonders of the world.
Browse this gallery and be in awe of some of the biggest and most groundbreaking dams around the world.
Completed in 1966, this arch-gravity dam near Page, Arizona is set on the upper Colorado River.
This picturesque multiple-arch buttress dam on the Manicouagan River is the largest dam of its type in the world.
Currently the world's second-highest concrete arch dam, this hydroelectric dam stands on the Enguri River.
Built between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression, this iconic Art Deco-detailed landmark is one of the most recognized dams in the world.
This double curvature concrete arch dam is located in Tasmania, and gets its water from Lake Gordon.
Set on the Nevada/Arizona state border, the dam holds back the powerful Colorado River.
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The hydroelectric facility is set on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. It currently produces more power than any other plant in the world.
Named in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, the lake created behind the dam is the third largest reservoir in the country.
Completed in 1959, it's one of the tallest dams in the world. Vajont Dam made headlines around the globe in 1963 when a landslide caused millions of cubic meters of water to spill over the lip of the dam, leading to nearly 2,000 fatalities and widespread destruction. The dam is now disused.
Located on the Flathead River in Montana, scenic Kerr Dam was designed to generate hydroelectricity, but also serves recreational and irrigation purposes.
Also known as the Verzasca Dam, this is the location of the famous opening sequence of the 1995 James Bond film 'GoldenEye,' when a stuntman jumped off it—a feat later voted as one of the best movie stunts of all time.
One of the country's tallest structures, Almendra forms part of the hydroelectric system known as the Duero Drops, which is composed of five dams from Spain and three other dams in neighboring Portugal.
Spanning the mighty Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam facility is the world's largest power station.
Dating back to 1961, the facility's arched dam is inscribed in the list of Georgia's cultural heritage.
Dams represent some of the grandest examples of civil engineering on the planet. Indeed, these mighty blockades mesmerize in their sheer size and immense capacity. Designed to create hydroelectricity or simply to control water flow, dams stand as modern wonders of the world.
Browse this gallery and be in awe of some of the biggest and most groundbreaking dams around the world.
World wonders: Impressive dams across the globe
These are jaw-dropping feats of civil engineering
TRAVEL Structures
Dams represent some of the grandest examples of civil engineering on the planet. Indeed, these mighty blockades mesmerize in their sheer size and immense capacity. Designed to create hydroelectricity or simply to control water flow, dams stand as modern wonders of the world.
Browse this gallery and be in awe of some of the biggest and most groundbreaking dams around the world.