France is the country home to the Eiffel Tower, completed for the 1889 World's Fair.
The tower stands on Paris's Champ de Mars beside the Seine. Engineer Gustave Eiffel's company designed and built it for the Exposition Universelle, which celebrated the centenary of the French Revolution. Construction began in 1887 and the structure opened to visitors on 31 March 1889.
The Eiffel Tower was controversial when proposed. Some prominent French artists and writers criticized its industrial appearance, but it soon became a defining symbol of Paris. At 300 metres when completed, it was the world's tallest man-made structure, surpassing the Washington Monument.
The tower is sometimes mistakenly described as permanent from the beginning. Its original permit allowed it to remain for only 20 years, but its usefulness as a radio and communications structure helped save it from demolition. Antennas later increased its height.