The Great Wall as we see today was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty. It starts from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in the west passing through the provinces of Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Gansu.
Even though the Great Wall was built over 2,000 years ago it is still one of the largest building projects ever completed. It is constructed of brick, rocks and packed-earth. It is over 5,000 km long. Its thickness ranges from about 15 to 30 feet and was up to 25 feet tall.
The construction of the Great Wall, drew heavily on the local resources for construction materials, was carried out in line with the local conditions under the management of contract and responsibility system. A great army, made up of soldiers, prisoners, and local people, built the wall. The Great Wall was originally built in the Spring and Autumn. The Great Wall went through constant extensions and repairs in later dynasties.
A first set of walls, designed to keep Mongol nomads out of China, were built of earth and stones in wood frames during the Qin Dynasty. Some additions and modifications were made to these simple walls over the next millennium but the major construction of the \"modern\" walls began in the Ming Dynasty. The Ming fortifications were established in new areas from the Qin walls.
The Great Wall can be seen from Earth orbit, but, different from legend, is not visible from the moon, according to astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Jim Irwin.

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