Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon Sep 10, 2024

Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon

Today"s image features the Vasco da Gama Bridge in Portugal, which looks like a sleek line cutting through Lisbon"s skyline. Up close, it is a cable-stayed bridge with viaducts, stretching across the Tagus River in Parque das Nações, a civil parish in Lisbon. The second longest bridge in Europe, it also holds the title of being the longest in the European Union. Built to ease the traffic jam on Lisbon"s 25 de Abril Bridge and make travel smoother between the north and south of Portugal, the construction of the Vasco da Gama Bridge began in February 1995. It is earthquake-resistant, designed to absorb shifting during a quake. Since its deck is not fixed to the pylons, it can move both lengthwise and sideways. Inaugurated on March 29, 1998, the bridge"s opening was perfectly timed for Expo 98, the World"s Fair celebrating the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama"s historic sea route discovery from Europe to India.

© Achim Thomae/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Sep 10, 2023Walruses in Svalbard, Norway
Sep 10, 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 25, 2025Porto, Portugal
Nov 3, 2023Pacific sea nettle jellyfish
May 9, 2025Common chameleon
Mar 25, 2026Juvenile manatees in a freshwater spring, Crystal River, Florida
Sep 1, 2023Turkey tail mushroom
Apr 1, 2025Tree frog, Costa Rica
Jun 4, 2024Chestnut-headed bee-eaters
Jun 29, 2025Blue lagoon of Pulau Ay, Banda Islands, Indonesia
Mar 26, 2025Manatee in Crystal River, Florida, United States
Dec 11, 2025The summit of Mount Everest at sunset, seen from Renjo La, Nepal
Oct 27, 2025Thick-billed raven
Apr 26, 2024Kalaloch Tree of Life, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA
Apr 6, 2024Himeji Castle, Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
Oct 22, 2024Palazzo Zuccari, Rome, Italy
Feb 10, 2024Giant anteater
Nov 16, 2023Athens and the Acropolis, Greece
Jan 14, 2026Fortress of Palamidi, Nafplio, Greece
Apr 17, 2026Grey-headed flying fox carrying her pup, Australia
May 3, 2025Arches National Park, Utah, United States
Mar 27, 2026Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
Feb 25, 2024Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, Canada
Jul 13, 2025Basalt columns in Kálfshamarsvík cove, Skagi peninsula, Iceland
Oct 26, 2023Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria
Feb 5, 2024Monarch butterflies
Aug 12, 2025African elephants
Jan 20, 2026Gentoo penguin, Petermann Island, Antarctica
Feb 1, 2024Sassnitz lighthouse, Germany
Aug 10, 2024Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
Feb 18, 2025The Great Blue Hole, Belize
Dec 13, 2024St. Stephens Basilica, Budapest, Hungary