Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon Sep 10, 2024

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:

Jun 28, 2024Chausey Islands
Jul 23, 2025Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Oct 21, 2025Cap dAntibes, Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, France
Feb 27, 2026Polar bear cub, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, United States
Aug 11, 2025Village of Santa Maddalena, Dolomites, Italy
Jan 20, 2024Macaroni penguins
Jul 5, 2025Cize-Bolozon viaduct, France
May 19, 2024Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy
Mar 14, 2024Wat Phra Ngam, Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
Jan 29, 2025Prioro, Castile and León, Spain
Jan 8, 2025Great Wall of China
Dec 10, 2024Lands End, Cornwall, England
Feb 12, 2026Blue-footed booby, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
May 7, 2024Duckling in a water meadow, Suffolk, England
Feb 15, 2026Humpback whales, Monterey Bay, California, United States
May 8, 2025Donkeys in a valley near Rhyolite, Nevada, United States
Nov 6, 2024Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park, Washington, USA
Feb 18, 2026Przewalskis horses
May 25, 2025Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Apr 6, 2024Himeji Castle, Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
May 10, 2025Castildetierra in the Bardenas Reales, Navarre, Spain
Jan 5, 2025Plum-headed parakeet
Nov 11, 2023Val di Funes, South Tyrol, Italy
Oct 31, 2024Edinburgh Castle, Scotland, United Kingdom
Mar 2, 2026Harbour and longtail boats at Ko Samui, Thailand
Oct 6, 2025Anshun Bridge, Chengdu, China
Jan 12, 2024Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
Apr 13, 2024Apple trees in spring, Germany
Mar 26, 2024Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam
Nov 19, 2024Tasmans Arch, Tasman National Park, Tasmania, Australia