The official length of the Great Wall of China is 21,196.18 kilometers (13,170.7 miles), according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) on June 5th, 2012. This is the first time that China has scientifically and systematically measured the length of all of the Great Wall after a six-year-long archaeological survey.
The Ming Great Wall (constructed 1368–1644), measured 8,851.8 kilometers (5,500 miles) and includes most of the best-preserved sections. Its length is similar to the length of the Great Siberian Railway, but that's only 40% of the whole Great Wall's length.
Continue reading and find out:
How Long is the Great Wall of China Compared to ...
Great Wall of China MapSo how long are 21,196.18 kilometers (13,170.7 miles)? Maybe the following comparisons would bring you a more vibrant picture.
- The total Great Wall of China is similar to the perimeter of the USA: all the 48 states as one body plus Alaska's circumference and Hawaii's.
- We could say instead, that the total Great Wall length for all time would cross the US east to west 4.9 times!
- The Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty alone would be sufficient to go across the United States - Mexican border (3,000+ km) and the southern Canadian land border (5,000+ km, not counting the Great Lakes and Alaska)!
- If someone was to build a wall between the South Pole and the North Pole, all the Great Wall sections built in China would be just longer than this wall.
- 2-Day Great Wall Mutianyu-Simatai Day-Night Tour
- 3-Day Jiankou to Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking Discovery Tour
- 5-Day Huangyaguan to Huanghuacheng Great Wall Hiking Tour
Great Wall of China Lengths in Different Dynasties
"Great Walls" were first built by warring states for self-defense, and then 'First Emperor' Qin connected these walls after he unified China and established the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC).
Since then, the walls got the name 'Long Walls' or Wan-Li Changcheng (万里长城/wann-lee-channg-chnng/ '5,000-Km-Long Wall').
Lengths of Great Wall of China by Dynasty
The following table gives a fuller picture of what lengths of the Great Wall (approximately) were built in each dynastic era.
| Dynastic Era | Approx. Length (km) | Approx. Length (mi) |
|---|---|---|
| Warring States 445–222 BC |
3,080.14 | 1,913.91 |
| Qin & Han Dynasty 221 BC - 220 AD |
3,680 km | 2,286.64 mi |
| Jin Dynasty 1115–1234 AD |
4,010.28 km | 2,491.87 mi |
| Ming Dynasty 1368–1644 AD |
8,851.8 km | 5,500.25 mi |
| Other Dynasties Mainly Northern and Southern Dynasties (386–589 AD) |
1,574 km | 978.03 mi |
| Totals | 21,196.18 km | 13,170.7 mi |
| 3,476 km (2,160 mi) ≈ the moon's diameter 9,289 km (5,772 mi) ≈ the length of the Siberian Railway 20,000 km (12,430 mi) ≈ the traveling distance between the North Pole and the South Pole |
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The Great Wall of China's Length Today — Only 9.4% Remains Intact
The Great Wall was never a single wall but a huge area with over 43,721 heritage sites in 15 provinces of north China. Unfortunately, only 9.4% of the original wall remains intact. The well-preserved sections like Badaling and Mutianyu only account for a very small part of the whole Great Wall length.
Condition of the Great Wall of China Today
| Condition | Approx. Length | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Good | 2,000 km (1,243 mi) |
9.47% |
| Average | 4,200 km (2,610 mi) |
19.91% |
| Poor | 3,400 km (2,113 mi) |
16.11% |
| Worse | 5,000 km (3,107 mi) |
23.70% |
| Disappeared | 6,500 km (4,039 mi) |
30.81% |
How Long to Walk the Great Wall of China?
When talking about walking the Great Wall, we normally refer to the Ming Great Wall, which was built about 600 years ago and represents the best-preserved sections.
In 1984, Dong Yaohui (an electrical engineer and later a Great Wall protector), with his two companions spent 508 days (around 17 months) walking and inspecting the entire length of the Ming Great Wall. Despite the tough weather and conditions, they collected first-hand information about the Ming Great Wall during their journey on foot.
It's no longer hard to walk some sections of the Great Wall now. You can spend 2–3 hours for a normal Great Wall sightseeing tour, or 1–2 days of trekking and camping, or even 1–2 months trekking to connect the sections around Beijing for example.
The most popular sections of the Great Wall are located near Beijing, within 1–3 hours' driving.
| Section of the Great Wall | Approx. Length (km/mi) | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|
| Badaling | 7.6 km (4.7 mi) |
2–3 hours |
| Mutianyu | 5.4 km (3.4 mi) |
2–3 hours |
| Jinshanling | 10.5 km (6.5 mi) |
1–2 days |
| Simatai | 5.4 km (3.4 mi) |
1–2 days |
| Jiankou | 20 km (12 mi) |
1–2 days |
| Huanghuacheng Lakeside | 13 km (8 mi) |
1 day |
- 1-Day Beijing Highlights Private Tour
- 1-Day Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Hiking Tour
- 2-Day Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall Hiking and Camping Tour
How the Total Length of the Great Wall Was Measured
Step 1: Preparation
Who was to measure it: 1,295 people from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping
Locations: 404 counties in 15 provinces (Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia Autonomous Region, and Gansu for the northern wall, plus Shandong, Hebei, Hubei, Chongqing, Anhui, and Jiangsu for the Warring States "Great Wall" sections)
What was to be measured: walls, trenches, towers, and walled fortresses
Tools: Compass, tape measure, spirit level, but also electronic distance measurement (EDM), GPS, etc., and lots of mapping software
Step 2: Inspection and Measurement
Time taken: 3½ years
Distance covered: over 100,000 kilometers' (62,137 mi) trekking (roughly equal to trekking every trail in the whole of Switzerland)
Step 3: Data Collation and Analysis
Over 46,111 data forms, 200,000 photos, and 30,000 videos of the Great Wall were collected, collated, and analyzed.
Step 4: Experts Review Findings and Release the Result
Over 43,721 relics were found and measured. As surveys of the Great Wall continue, the total length of the Great Wall may be found to be longer than the 21,196.18 km (13,170.7 mi) they found.