According to UNESCO, what is the total length of the Great Wall of China?

According to UNESCO’s cited measurement, the Great Wall of China has a total length of about 21,196 kilometres.

This figure includes the many wall sections, trenches, natural barriers, and branches built or incorporated across different historical periods. It does not describe one continuous structure built at one time. Different surveys produce different totals depending on what features are counted, which is why shorter figures sometimes appear in popular sources.

Early defensive walls were constructed by states in northern China before the Qin dynasty. Qin Shi Huang connected and expanded earlier fortifications in the third century BCE, while later dynasties built, repaired, or abandoned additional lines. The best-preserved sections near Beijing mainly date from the Ming dynasty, which ruled from 1368 to 1644.

The Wall was intended primarily for defence, border control, signalling, and managing movement. It is not visible from the Moon with the unaided human eye, a common myth. The Great Wall was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.