Twenty-one million dollars for a piece of art or $2.72 million for a camel may seem like a lot of money, but the wealth of individuals pales in comparison to that commanded by nations. When nations decide to build, the cost can become astronomical. What follows are the most expensive objects ever built.
The Channel Tunnel. (By Mortadelo2005. Distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.)
The Channel Tunnel, an undersea tunnel reaching from the United Kingdom to France, is the second longest undersea tunnel in the world. Construction on the project, organized by Eurotunnel, began in 1988 and it was first put into service in 1994. The tunnel has seen a few setbacks in the years since its completion, including a fire in 1996 and a crisis involving illegal immigrants seeking refuge on British soil, but it continues to serve to this day and has even been identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. It cost around Â£4.65 billion to build—80% more than its projected cost.
The Three Gorges Dam. (Photo by Christoph FilnkÃ¶ÃŸl. Distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike 3.0 Unported license.)
In China, the Three Gorges Dam is expected to be completed in 2011. This hydroelectric river dam spans the Yangtze River in Yiching, Hubei. It is the largest project the nation has undertaken since the construction of the Great Wall during the time of the Ming Dynasty. The dam will be able to generate 22,500 megawatts, more than any other hydroelectric dam in the world. The dam has had its own problems, including over 1.5 million people being displaced by rising waters, adverse effects on the environment and the loss of various historical sites. Upon its completion, the project will have cost fewer than 180 billion yuan (over $25 billion USD).
The International Space Station.
The most expensive object ever built puts these architectural and technological marvels to shame, though. The International Space Station, being assembled in space, is a joint effort between the United States, Japan, Russia, Canada and the European Space Agency. The project was first announced in 1993 and is expected to be completed in 2010. It has had a crew in residence since late 2000. While it currently only holds a crew of three, it will be able to house a crew of at least six members when it is completed. Its size and the fact that it’s in a low Earth orbit allow it to be seen with the naked eye if one is in the right place while it’s visible. The project is expected to have cost around $157 billion by its completion.