People began to build dams and dams a long time ago. Their main purpose was to protect the settlement from floods and the ability to create water supplies for the period of drought.
Over time, dams began to serve to generate electricity. Modern buildings look very powerful and large-scale, when you look at them, it becomes clear that they were built for a long time.
Further in the article you can find a list of the 10 largest and bewitching dams in the world.
10. Dam “Akosombo” (Ghana)
The hydroelectric power station is located in the southeast of Ghana. The main goal of the construction of this dam was to provide electricity to the city's production plants. The reservoir was filled in the period from 1962 to 1966.
The idea of creating a hydroelectric power station arose in 1915, but until the 1940s. no plan for its construction was developed. The dam began to be built in 1961, today it provides electricity to several countries in West Africa.
The size of the Akosombo hydroelectric power station is striking in its size; it has a height of 111 meters, a base width of 366 meters and a length of 660 meters.
9. Daniel Johnson Dam (Canada)
The Daniel Johnson Reservoir is one of the largest in the world. He was named after the Prime Minister of Canada, who owned the idea of its creation.
The water volume of the dam is 141.8 km3. Consists of several arches, feeds the turbines at the base of the buttresses supporting the arches.
From the point of view of architecture, the dam fits perfectly into the surrounding natural landscape without destroying its harmony. The dam was erected in the 1959-1970s, has a height of 214 meters, a length of 1314 meters, 2.2 million m3 of concrete were spent on its construction.
8. Ataturk Dam (Turkey)
Hydroelectric power station Ataturk-Barazhi is located in Turkey, on the Euphrates River. The facility is capable of generating 8900 GWh of electricity per year, its height is 169 meters, length - 1820 meters. The construction of the dam began in 1983, and in 1990 it became operational.
Under the dam is the ancient Armenian city of Shamshat. In 2018, during the descent of the hydroelectric power station, scientists discovered the oldest cave paintings depicting hunting scenes.
7. Fort Peck Dam (USA)
The dam is located on the Missouri River, in the state of Montana. Its construction lasted from 1933 to 1940. The height of the structure is 76 meters, length - 6409 meters. The water reserve of the Fort Peck reservoir is 23.1 km3.
6. Benetta Dam (Canada)
The dam is located on the Peace River in Canada. Named after the 25th Prime Minister of the country William Bennett. The dam began to function since 1968. The river spill formed Lake Williston.
Today, the hydropower plant provides electricity to British Columbia and part of Vancouver. When the reservoir was created, the valleys of two rivers were flooded, which for people who have long lived in this territory was a real tragedy, despite the payment of state compensation.
5. Itaipu Dam (Brazil)
The dam is one of the two largest in the world in terms of electricity generation, located on the Parana River, on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. The name of the dam came from the name of the island, which is located at the mouth of the river.
Work on the design of the facility was started in 1971. By 1978, a 150-meter-long canal was dug in natural rocks for the construction of the dam, they began to build the dam in 1979, and filled the reservoir in 1982.
Since 1984, the hydropower plant began to function. During the construction of the Itaipu Dam, a large number of rocks were destroyed, and the Guaira National Park was completely wiped off the face of the earth.
Today, the dam is 7235 meters long, 400 meters wide and 196 meters high. The capacity of the hydropower plant is approximately 85-98 billion kWh per year.
4. Hoover Dam (USA)
Hoover Dam is considered a unique hydraulic structure, located on the Colorado River, has a height of 221 meters. Not far from the dam is Las Vegas.
Named in honor of US President Herbert Hoover, who played a significant role in its creation. The dam construction project was drawn up in 1931, and it began to function in 1936.
Today, the dam is not only a source of electricity, but also an architectural monument. It was built in the Art Deco style, decorated with turrets on which the clock is located, some of which indicate the time of Arizona, and others of Nevada.
3. Dam "Vaiont" (Italy)
An arched concrete dam is located on the Vaiont River in northern Italy. The construction was built in 1961, its height is 261.6 meters, length 190 meters, and width 23 meters.
In 1963, an accident occurred on this dam, which killed about 3,000 people. Rocks fell into the bowl of the reservoir, a landslide caused an overflow of water through the dam, this event turned into a disaster for several settlements.
2. Tarbela Dam (Pakistan)
The dam is located on the Indus River, 50 kilometers from the capital of Pakistan. The dam began in 1968, it began to function since 1977.
Scientists have estimated that the dam will be used for about 50 years, since the main source of Indus nutrition is water from melting glaciers from the Himalayas, and they carry a large amount of sedimentation
. This circumstance meant that for some time the reservoir would overflow, but today sedimentation turned out to be much lower than originally expected, so the dam can be operated at least until 2060, that is, about 85 years.
1. Three Gorges Dam (China)
The hydroelectric power station is located on the Yangtze River. Today it is considered the largest and most powerful dam in the world. The idea of creating a dam in the Three Gorges region arose in 1932.
The dam was built for a very long time, only in 2016 was the last element of the hydroelectric power station opened.
The construction has a length of 2309 meters, a height of 181 meters, it is built of concrete and steel. During its construction, 27.2 million m3 were spent. The hydropower plant is of great importance for China in the field of economics; the dam also regulates the water regime of the river on which it is built; it reduces the number of disastrous floods.