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The new wonderful 7!
July 9, 2007
Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro
The statue of Christ, which was unveiled in 1931 and is locally called Cristo Redentor, has become a symbol for the city of Rio.
It is 125 feet high and stands on the 2,300 ft Corcovado hill, which along with Sugar Loaf mountain towers over Rio harbour.
Some facts you probably did not know:
The statue weighs 1,000 tonnes.
French sculptor Paul Landowski, who created 35 statues for Paris, designed the Cristo Redentor.
On the day of its inauguration the lights were meant to be turned on by legendary inventor Guglielmo Marconi from his yacht close to Naples, Italy, using radio technology. That plan failed and the lights were switched on from the hill in Rio.
Image: Greenpeace activists, protesting the outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, rappel down the statue with banners. Photograph: Antonio Scorza/AFP/Getty Images
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