World wonders: Impressive dams across the globe

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World wonders: Impressive dams across the globe​

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.

 

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Contra Dam, Switzerland​

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.

 

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Almendra Dam, Spain​

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.

 

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Kerr Dam, USA​

Located on the Flathead River in Montana, scenic Kerr Dam was designed to generate hydroelectricity, but also serves recreational and irrigation purposes.

 

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Atatürk Dam, Turkey​

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.

 

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Gordon Dam, Australia​

This double curvature concrete arch dam is located in Tasmania, and gets its water from Lake Gordon.

 

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Gariep Dam, South Africa​

In the Khoekhoe language, Gariep means "river." It's the original name of the Orange River. Suitably, the dam's primary purpose is for irrigation, domestic, and industrial use.

 

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Oroville Dam, USA​

At 234 m (770 ft), this is the tallest and largest dam in the United States. Part of the Oroville–Thermalito Complex group of reservoirs, structures, and facilities, the Thermalito Afterbay Dam has the longest crest in the California State Water Project system: its lip stretches 13,000 m (42,000 ft).

 

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Vajont Dam, Italy​

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.

 

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Akosombo Dam, Ghana​

Completed in 1965, construction of the dam flooded part of the Volta River Basin, and led to the subsequent creation of Lake Volta—one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the world.

 

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Tarbela Dam, Pakistan​

The largest earth-filled dam in the world, Tarbela was designed to store water from the Indus River for irrigation, flood control, and the generation of hydroelectric power.

 

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Grand Coulee Dam, USA​

Grand Coulee creates the most hydroelectric power of any dam in the US, and is an impressive Spokane, Washington state industrial landmark.

 

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Enguri Dam, Georgia​

Currently the world's second-highest concrete arch dam, this hydroelectric dam stands on the Enguri River.

 

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Enguri Dam, Georgia​

Dating back to 1961, the facility's arched dam is inscribed in the list of Georgia's cultural heritage.

 

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Kariba Dam, Zimbabwe​

Spanning the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi River basin between Zambia and Zimbabwe is this double curvature concrete arch dam.

 

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Kariba Dam, Zimbabwe​

The dam forms Lake Kariba, the world's largest man-made lake and reservoir by volume, seen here pictured from space.

 

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Itaipu Dam, Brazil​

In 1994, the American Society of Civil Engineers recognized the massive Itaipu Dam as one of the seven modern Wonders of the World.

 

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Itaipu Dam, Brazil​

The hydroelectric facility is set on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. It currently produces more power than any other plant in the world.

 

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The Volga Hydroelectric Station or Volga GES(Russian: Волжская ГЭС) also known as the 22nd Congress of the CPSUStalingrad/Volgograd Hydroelectric Power Station (Russian: Сталинградская/Волгоградская ГЭС имени XXII съезда КПСС), is the largest hydroelectric station in Europe, and it is the last of the Volga-Kama Cascade of dams, immediately before the Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea. It was the largest powerstation in the world between 1960 and 1963.[4] Today, it is operated by the electricity company RusHydro.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga_Hydroelectric_Station