Height above hillside117 m
15.4Tape measure lengths
425 billionWater molecules
117Tuba heights
13 stories above the slope
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Potala Palace
The Dalai Lama's former winter residence towering over Lhasa, Tibet/World Landmarks
The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, sits atop Marpo Ri hill at 3,700 m above sea level, making it one of the highest palaces in the world. The complex rises 117 m above the hillside, has 13 stories, contains over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines, and about 200,000 statues. It was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama from 1649 until the 14th Dalai Lama's flight to India in 1959. The structure consists of the White Palace (administrative quarters) and the Red Palace (religious halls and chapels).
Measurements
Length360 m
157Porta-potty heights
316Shoelace lengths
1,800Burrito lengths
East to west along the hill
Width300 m
81.1Rowboat lengths
197Desk widths
300 billionNanometers
North to south
Total floor area130,000 m2
6.5 millionSubway tiles
13.4 millionIndex cards
31,100Ping pong table tops
Over 1,000 rooms
Elevation3,700 m
1.23Airport runway lengths
1,737Christmas trees
123 billionSmoke particles
Above sea level
Wall thickness (base)5 m
50 billionX-ray wavelengths
1 tenthsOlympic pool lengths
Massive stone foundations with copper poured in