How long did it take to build the Great Wall of China?

The Great Wall of China was built over a period of about 17 centuries, between approximately 220 BC to the 17th century AD. The most well-known section of the Great Wall, located 43 miles northwest of Beijing, was built between the 14th and 17th centuries AD. The Great Wall is known, in China, as the "Long Wall of Ten Thousand Li."

The Great Wall of China starts in the east at Hushan, Liaoning and ends in the west at Jiayugan Pass, Gansu. The Great Wall travels through the provinces of Tianjin, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Liaoning, Qinghai, Hebei, Shanxi, Ningxia and Shaanxi. The main portion of the wall is an average of 21 feet tall.