The
Eiffel Tower (French:
La Tour Eiffel,
[tuʁ ɛfɛl]) is an
iron lattice tower located on the
Champ de Mars in
Paris, named after the engineer
Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the
1889 World's Fair, it has become both a
global cultural icon of
France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the
tallest structure in Paris[10] and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 7.1 million people ascended it in 2011. The third level observatory's upper platform is at 279.11 m (915.7 ft) the highest accessible to the public in the
European Union. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.
