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World's tallest buildings

  • The Abraj Al Bait Towers in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, commonly referred to as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower. Its clock is visible from 17 kilometres away in the middle of the night and is six times bigger than London's Big Ben.
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    The best of the best?

    The Abraj Al Bait Towers in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, commonly referred to as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower. Its clock is visible from 17 kilometres away in the middle of the night and is six times bigger than London's Big Ben.
  • Taiwan's landmark building Taipei 101
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    Taiwan's landmark building Taipei 101

    Taiwan's landmark building Taipei 101
    Thinkstock
  • The Shanghai World Financial Center was built in 2008. It is 492m high, and has 101 floors.
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    highrise

    The Shanghai World Financial Center was built in 2008. It is 492m high, and has 101 floors.
    Thinkstock
  • View of the 88-story Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world, in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 12, 2002. The towers, inspired by the Five Pillars of Islam, are the centerpiece of the ultra-modern Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC). (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
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    Petronas Twin Towers In Kuala Lumpur

    View of the 88-story Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world, in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 12, 2002. The towers, inspired by the Five Pillars of Islam, are the centerpiece of the ultra-modern Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC). (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
  • Zifeng Tower, also knows as <span class="st"> Greenland Center-Zifeng Tower, </span><span class="st"> is a 450-metre tower in Nanjing, China.<br></span>
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    Zifeng Tower in Nanjing, China

    Zifeng Tower, also knows as Greenland Center-Zifeng Tower, is a 450-metre tower in Nanjing, China.
    Jack No1/Wikimedia Commons photo
  • CHICAGO - JULY 16: Commuters walk past the former Sears Tower July 16, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The building was renamed the Willis Tower today, after London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, a major tenant in the building. The building, once the tallest in the world, was opened in 1973 to house the offices of the then largest retailer in the world Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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    Iconic Sears Tower Changes Name To Willis Tower

    CHICAGO - JULY 16: Commuters walk past the former Sears Tower July 16, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The building was renamed the Willis Tower today, after London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, a major tenant in the building. The building, once the tallest in the world, was opened in 1973 to house the offices of the then largest retailer in the world Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
    Scott Olson
  • SHENZHEN, CHINA - NOVEMBER 28: The Shenzhen skyline, including The Shenzhen World Financial Center, illuminated by green lights, stretches in to the distance on November 28, 2010 in Shenzhen, China. According to the US Commercial Service, Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Home of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the headquarters of numerous technology companies, the now bustling former fishing village is considered southern China's major financial centre. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
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    Shenzhen One Of The Fastest Growing Cities In The World

    SHENZHEN, CHINA - NOVEMBER 28: The Shenzhen skyline, including The Shenzhen World Financial Center, illuminated by green lights, stretches in to the distance on November 28, 2010 in Shenzhen, China. According to the US Commercial Service, Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Home of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the headquarters of numerous technology companies, the now bustling former fishing village is considered southern China's major financial centre. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
    Getty Images
The Abraj Al Bait Towers in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, commonly referred to as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower. Its clock is visible from 17 kilometres away in the middle of the night and is six times bigger than London's Big Ben.
Taiwan's landmark building Taipei 101
The Shanghai World Financial Center was built in 2008. It is 492m high, and has 101 floors.
View of the 88-story Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world, in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 12, 2002. The towers, inspired by the Five Pillars of Islam, are the centerpiece of the ultra-modern Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC). (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
Zifeng Tower, also knows as <span class="st"> Greenland Center-Zifeng Tower, </span><span class="st"> is a 450-metre tower in Nanjing, China.<br></span>
CHICAGO - JULY 16: Commuters walk past the former Sears Tower July 16, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The building was renamed the Willis Tower today, after London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, a major tenant in the building. The building, once the tallest in the world, was opened in 1973 to house the offices of the then largest retailer in the world Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
SHENZHEN, CHINA - NOVEMBER 28: The Shenzhen skyline, including The Shenzhen World Financial Center, illuminated by green lights, stretches in to the distance on November 28, 2010 in Shenzhen, China. According to the US Commercial Service, Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Home of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the headquarters of numerous technology companies, the now bustling former fishing village is considered southern China's major financial centre. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

One World Trade Center became the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere when a silver spire topping the building was installed on Friday, May 10. Here's a look at the world's tallest buildings.