Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:09:58 GMT
A two-year government mapping study has revealed that the Great Wall of China is 180 miles longer than previous surveys had found.
According to a report posted on the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping website, the new sections of the ancient structure were found using infrared range finders and GPS devices.
Newly-found sections of the wall, which were concealed by hills, trenches and rivers, stretch from the Hu Mountain in the northern Liaoning Province to the Jiayu Pass in the western Gansu Province.
Experts say the hidden sections were constructed to stop northern invaders during the Ming Dynasy (1368-1644) and were submerged over time by sandstorms.
The study will continue for another 18 months to map the parts built during the Qin (221 BC-206 BCE) and Han (206 BC-9 CE) dynasties, BBC reported.
Recent archeological studies have found that some parts of the wall in Gansu are being eroded to "mounds of dirt" by sandstorms and will be completely destroyed in the next 20 years.
China has been restoring parts of the wall in recent years and experts are concerned about tourist graffiti covering almost every brick on a popular section of the wall near Badaling.
The Great Wall of China, which was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987, was built to keep out Mongols and invaders and protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire.
TE/HGH
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