The Hoover Dam
Considered one of the marvels of the twentieth century when it was built and even though its size and energy generating capacity has been surpassed it is still possibly the most famous and iconic dam in the world. It was completed in 1936 and still has a gothic cum deco inspired feel to it which renders it art while many other dams simply have utility. Its statistics are impressive as well – it is two hundred and twenty one meters high and has a thickness at its base of two hundred meters (fifteen at its crest)
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Built across the Krishna River in the Andrha Pradesh area of India, the Nargana Sagar towers at one hundred and twenty four meters in height and is able to hold almost twelve million cubic meters of water. This makes it the largest dam in Asia – at the moment. It is also one of the oldest. Construction began in 1956 but it was a long time before it became fully functioning.
Sayano-Shushenskaya
The power plant that this Russian dam supports is the fourth largest in the world and it was opened in 1978. Another example of the gravity arch dam, this one has a crest of almost eleven hundred meters in length. The arch itself is two hundred and forty five meters height. The dam itself forms a reservoir of the same name, which covers over thirty cubic kilometers and a surface area of over six hundred square kilometers.
Itaipu
The Itaipu dam of Brazil is given its name from a small island that used to exist near the site and it means “the sound of a stone”. One can only imagine what the dam sounds like when it releases its water. The length of the dam is a staggering 7235 meters and at its highest it is two hundred and twenty five meters.
