Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal 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

Getting starry-eyed at the moon
Sep. 10, 2023Grandparents Day
Sep. 10, 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun. 12, 2024Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
Sep. 1, 2024River Thames, London, England
Hangin around
Oct. 29, 2024Great horned owl
Aug. 23, 2023Skógafoss waterfall, Iceland
In the tropics, land greets sea warmly
Dec. 27, 2024Lake Bled, Slovenia
Sep. 20, 2024Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, USA
Starry, starry night
Oct. 27, 2025Thick-billed raven, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia
Jan. 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
How sweet to be a star, floating in the blue.
Mar. 15, 2025Pacific Rim Whale Festival
Zebras enjoying their day
International Archaeology Day
Jun. 28, 2024Stonewall uprising anniversary
Aug. 28, 2025Great white egret, Hungary
Nov. 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Oct. 2, 2025Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, United States
A mountaintop cultural wonder
Reddy for winter
Oct. 2, 2023World Architecture Day
So close, yet so far
Dec. 4, 2025International Cheetah Day
Aug. 7, 2025Monoliths of the Mingan Archipelago, Quebec
Look up, incoming…
Celebrating Canada and Englands common bond
Oct. 7, 2025Fall colours below Mount Sneffels near Ridgway, Colorado, United States
Jan. 31, 2024International Zebra Day
May 4, 2024Star Wars Day