2. The Eiffel Tower (French: La Tour Eiffel, [tuʁ ɛfɛl]) is
an iron [10] lattice tower located on the Champ de
Mars in Paris, named after the engineerGustave Eiffel,
whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in
1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair, it has
become both a global cultural icon of France and one of
the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower
is the tallest structure in Paris [11] and the most-visited
paid monument in the world; 7.1 million people ascended
it in 2011. The third level observatory's upper platform is
at 279.11 m the highest accessible to public in
the European Union and the highest in Europe as long as
the platform of the Ostankino Tower, at 360 m, remains
closed as a result of the fire of August 2000. The tower
received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.

6. Maintenance of the tower includes
applying 50 to 60 tonnes of paint every
seven years to protect it from rust. The
height of the Eiffel Tower varies by 15 cm
due to temperature.

7. The American TV show Pricing the Priceless
speculates that in 2011 the tower would cost about
$480,000,000 to build, that the land under the
tower is worth $350,000,000, and that the scrap
value of the tower is worth $3,500,000. The TV
show estimates the tower makes a profit of about
$29,000,000 per year, though it is unlikely that the
Eiffel Tower is managed so as to maximize profit.
It costs $5,300,000 to repaint the tower, which is
done once every seven years. The electric bill is
$400,000 per year for 7.5 million kilowatt-hours.
The Tokyo Tower in Japan is a very similar structure
of very similar size. It was finished in 1958 at a final
cost of ¥2.8 billion ($8.4 million in 1958).

8. Tokyo Tower Eiffel Tower