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:

May 12, 2025An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
Nov 4, 2023American bison
Dec 31, 2023Phra Nakhon Khiri, Thailand
Sep 6, 2024Glenariff Forest Park, Northern Ireland, UK
Aug 22, 2025Rolling hills of the Palouse, Washington, United States
Feb 18, 2025The Great Blue Hole, Belize
Dec 10, 2023Llyn Padarn lake, Snowdonia, Wales
Sep 21, 2024Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Jul 27, 2024Vineyards above the Moselle River, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Mar 11, 2024Koala sleeping in a eucalyptus tree
May 30, 2024Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
May 18, 2024Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Canada
Sep 26, 2024Blue-throated toucanet, Costa Rica
Mar 29, 2024South Stack Lighthouse, Holyhead, Wales, UK
May 15, 2025Palace of Westminster, London, England
Aug 20, 2023Start Point Lighthouse, South Devon, England
Oct 23, 2025Snow leopards, India
May 24, 2024Añisclo gorge, Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Spain
Dec 28, 2024Green sea turtle, New Caledonia
Oct 26, 2024Gespensterwald, Niehagen, Germany
Nov 19, 2025Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary
Oct 25, 2025Martimoaapa Mire Reserve, Finland
Aug 19, 2024Bufadero de la Garita, Gran Canaria, Spain
Oct 15, 2025Amethyst laccaria mushrooms, Seabeck, Washington, United States
Nov 20, 2023Castell Coch, Tongwynlais, South Wales
Apr 25, 2025Magellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
May 16, 2025Great green macaw, Mexico
Aug 31, 2023Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona, USA
Aug 14, 2024Thorny devil, Australia
Oct 3, 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India