Lorraine Logan, age 12, of Phoenix, Arizona, ,for her question:

How long is the Great Wall of China?

This amazing manmade wall is somewhat more than 1500 miles long. Its construction was started some 300 years B.C. by the Chinese, who wanted to protect themselves and keep out the barbarian hordes to the north. From time to time, the Great Wall was repaired and extended. The whole 1500‑mile length was not built at one time.

The wall wanders up hill and. down dale. Its height varies between 15 and 20 feet. It looks like a raised roadway with a low brick wall on either side, ht the base, it varies between 15 and 25 feet in widths The width of the roadway at the top is 12 feet or more.