Toronto - CN Tower

The 553m / 1815ft high CN Tower was constructed between 1972 and 1976. This modern landmark beside Lake Ontario is more than two and half times the height of Stuttgart's television tower (which, built just 20 years earlier, was the prototype of all such towers). About two-thirds of the way up the Tower (335m / 1100ft) the seven-story "Sky Pod" houses a revolving restaurant, and observation platforms from which, in clear weather, views extend for 120km / 75mi. On occasions it is even possible to make out the cloud of mist and spray which hangs above the Niagara Falls. Anyone so inclined can take the lift even further up, to the 447m / 1470ft high Space Deck, above which rises the Tower's enormous aerial. Being in the Tower during a thunderstorm is particularly dramatic. The view from above as lightning flashes and wind and driving rain rage below, is quite simply awe-inspiring.

Strobe lighting has been installed on the Tower to warn not only approaching aircraft but also birds, especially the many which fly past on migration in spring and autumn.

The Tower also carries a rich assortment of aerials belonging to a host of television, radio and telephone companies.

At the foot of the tower is an amusement park with an interactive multimedia center. Here visitors can learn about the construction of the tower, try out a flight simulator, watch the film "Cosmic Pinball" in a 360° cinema, and immerse themselves in a variety of virtual reality computer games.