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                                            World Famous Statues                           

     With short description

Statues have been created by man since the prehistory for all kinds of reasons and in all sizes. One of the first statues, a 29.6 cm (11.7 inches) high sculpture called the Lion Man, was created almost 32,000 years ago. The original Seven Wonders of the World included two statues: The Colossus of Rhodes and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Today, statues have been erected all over the world representing everything from religious deities, historical events and influential people.



1. Moai

Chile

The world famous Moai are monolithic statues located on Easter Island, one of the most isolated islands on Earth. The famous statues were carved by the Polynesian colonizers of the island, mostly between circa 1250 AD and 1500 AD. In addition to representing deceased ancestors, the moai may also have been regarded as the embodiment of powerful living or former chiefs. The tallest moai erected, called Paro, was almost 10 meters (33 ft) high and weighed 75 tonnes. The heaviest erected was a shorter but squatter moai weighing 86 tons and one unfinished sculpture, if completed, would have been approximately 21 meters (69 ft) tall with a weight of about 270 tons. The statues were till standing when Europeans first visited the island, but most would be cast down during later conflicts between clans. Today about 50 moai have been re-erected on Easter Island or museums elsewhere.

2. Christ the Redeemer

Brazil

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro. Located at the peak of the 700 meters (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain, it provides a sweeping panorama from the interior of Guanabara bay to the north, to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas to the south. The statue stands 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 metres (31 ft) pedestal, and 30 metres (98 ft) wide. It is one of the tallest of its kind in the world though the statue of Cristo de la Concordia in Bolivia is slightly taller. A symbol of Christianity, the famous statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil.

3. Statue of Liberty

United States

The Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France to celebrate the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, stands upon Liberty Island and is one of the most famous symbols in the world. It represents a woman wearing a stola, a radiant crown and sandals, trampling a broken chain, carrying a torch in her raised right hand and a tabula ansata tablet. The construction of the statue was completed in France in July 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor the following year. From 1886 until the jet age, it was often one of the first glimpses of the United States for millions of immigrants.

4. Great Sphinx

Egypt

Located at the Giza Plateau, The Great Sphinx is one of the largest and oldest statues in the world, but basic facts about it, such as who was the model for the face, when it was built, and by whom, are still debated. It is the largest monolith statue in the world although it is considerably smaller than the Pyramids around it. Despite conflicting evidence and viewpoints over the years, the traditional view held by modern Egyptologists at large remains that the Great Sphinx was built in approximately 2500 BC by the pharaoh Khafre, the supposed builder of the second pyramid at Giza.

 5. Buddha

Lanshan, China

The Leshan Giant Buddha is a statue of Maitreya in sitting posture. The Buddha is located to the east of Leshan City, Sichuan Province, at the confluence of three rivers, namely, Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River. The statue makes itself the most renowned scenic spot in Leshan City. Begun in the year 713 in the Tang Dynasty, and finished in the year 803, the statue took people more than 90 years to carve. As the biggest carved stone Buddha in the world, Leshan Giant Buddha is featured in poetry, song and story. Facing the river, the Buddha has symmetrical posture and looks which have been beautifully captured in its solemn stillness. It is 71 meters (233 feet).

6. Mount Nemrut

Turkey

Nemrut is a 2,134 meter (7,001 ft) high mountain in southeastern Turkey, near the city of Adiyaman. In 62 BC, King Antiochus Theos of Commagene built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues (8–9 m/26–30 ft high) of himself, two lions, two eagles and various.. Since their erection, the heads have toppled from the bodies and lay scattered throughout the site. The summit of Mount Nemrut provides a great view of the surrounding mountains. The main attraction is to watch the sunrise from the eastern terrace which gives the body less heads a beautiful orange hue and adds to the sense of mystery of the place.

7. Olmec Heads

Mexico

The Olmec were an ancient Pre-Columbian civilization living in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in what are roughly the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco. The Olmec civilization flourished roughly from 1400 BC to about 400 BC. The most recognized aspects of the Olmec civilization are the enormous helmeted heads. The heads are thought to be portraits of rulers, perhaps dressed as ballplayers. No two heads are alike and the helmet-like headdresses are adorned with distinctive elements. There have been 17 colossal heads unearthed to date. The heads range in size from the Rancho La Cobata head, at 3.4 m high, to the pair at Tres Zapotes, at 1.47 m.

8. Mother Russia Statue

Russia

The Mother Russia statue, also called The Motherland Calls, is a famous statue in Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad. When the memorial was dedicated in 1967 it was the tallest sculpture in the world, measuring 85 metres (279 feet) from the tip of its sword to the top of the plinth. The figure itself measures 52 metres (170 feet), and the sword 33 metres (108 feet). Two hundred steps, symbolizing the 200 days of the Battle of Stalingrad, lead from the bottom of the hill to the monument. The statue is currently leaning due to groundwater level changes causing movement of the foundations.

9. Lions of Delos

Greece

Located near Mykonos, the island of Delos is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece. Delos had a position as a holy sanctuary for a millennium before Olympian Greek mythology made it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. The Terrace of the Lions was dedicated to Apollo by the people of Naxos shortly before 600 BC and had originally 9 to 12 marble guardian lions along the Sacred Way. Only 5 lions survived and from 3 lions fragments exists. The weather-battered originals were moved to the Archaeological Museum of Delos in 1999.

10. Little Mermaid

Denmark

The statue of The Little Mermaid sits on a rock in the Copenhagen harbour at Langelinie. Tourists visiting for the first time are often surprised by the relatively small size of the statue. The Little Mermaid statue is only 1.25 meters high and weighs around 175 kg. Designed by Edvard Eriksen, the statue was erected in 1913 to commemorate a play of the Little mermaid. The poor lady has lost her head several times but has each time been restored. Copenhagen officials announced that the statue may be moved further out in the harbour, as to avoid further vandalism and to prevent tourists from climbing onto it.

11. The Motherland, Kiev
Kiev, Ukraine

Kiev's statue of the Motherland, a memorial of the Great Patriotic War (World War II). The statue itself is 62 meters tall, the overall height is 102 meters.

12. Peter the Great

Moscow, Russia

The statue of Peter on the bank of the Moskva River is one of the tallest outdoor sculptures in the world.

13. Yellow Chinese emperors Huangdi and Yandi

 China

The second highest statue in the world is located in China and it’s of two ancient Yellow Chinese emperors Huangdi and Yandi. Its height is 103 meters.

The famous statues in this list were all indented to stand outside to face the elements, though some have been moved to a museum since their creation.