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I deeply disagree with most choices proposed. Some of the mentioned structures are very well known by people who have travelled, are interested in stuff from all over the world, or have certain degree of education. These are the cases for most poster in this forum, but I don’t think it reflects the general population.
The question is hard to answer, as it may be very variable across the world, but you must focus on structures which are strongly associated with the pop culture. This is why I said the Camp Nou. Other good choice I saw up there is the Disney Castle.
This is absolutely theoretical, but I think that if I show different place’s pictures to casual people from here we may get these results.
Sydney Opera House: Most people will say they saw that picture before, that is a famous landmark, but not more details. Some will add it’s in Australia, or even in Sydney, and a few will it’s the Opera House.
Golden Gate Bridge: Most will have no idea what bridge it is. A good number of people will infere it is a famous one, probably from the United States. A minimum amount of people will say it’s a famous bridge in San Francisco.
Petronas Tower or Taipei 101: Hum… some skyscrapers from somewhere far away… some people will say they know those buildings but they have idea on what their names are or where they are located. They may try some ‘exotic’ cities or countries… but most people don’t even know what “Taipei” or “Kuala Lumpur” are. Only a few will spot on.
Camp Nou: Everybody will say “The Barcelona Stadium!!!”
Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom: Everybody will say “The Disney Castle!!!”
Camp Nou: Everybody will say “The Barcelona Stadium!!!”
Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport across the world but Camp Nou isn't unique enough for the majority of people to recognise it.
More people are actually not really that into football than are. Some of those people may take a mild interest in the world cup but that's it.
I would even go as far as say that the Petronas Towers are more iconic than Camp Nou to the general populace. The building has been in many Hollywood films and the fact they're two identical towers in the shape of a SE Asian temple helps it's iconography status. Not to mention it was the tallest structure in the world for an extended time.
However, the Disney Castle is pretty universal but will people be able to place the location? Not sure. And I think the Sydney Opera House is up there as well with a high chance people can place the location. It's unique structure and the 2000 Olympics (an iconic year) help also.
I think the key here is that many cities have used a single landmark as their logo, and it appears in many promotional representations. That usage is often the cause, not the result, of the landmark's global recognition. Some examples:
Big Ben, London
Eiffel Tower, Paris
Coliseum, Rome
Pyramids, Cairo
Empire State Building, New York
Opera House, Sydney
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Hollywood Sigh, Los Angeles
Magic Kingdom Castle, Orlando
Gateway Arch, St. Louis
Holy Redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro
Bourbon Street sign and lamppost, New Orleans
Kremlin,. Moscow
Great Wall, Beijin
Liberty Bell, Philadelphia
Most of those are disqualified, as have been created before the living memory of people seeing the image today. The question is, which features were created after, say, WWII, which have that status of familiarity.
Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport across the world but Camp Nou isn't unique enough for the majority of people to recognise it.
More people are actually not really that into football than are. Some of those people may take a mild interest in the world cup but that's it.
I would even go as far as say that the Petronas Towers are more iconic than Camp Nou to the general populace. The building has been in many Hollywood films and the fact they're two identical towers in the shape of a SE Asian temple helps it's iconography status. Not to mention it was the tallest structure in the world for an extended time.
However, the Disney Castle is pretty universal but will people be able to place the location? Not sure. And I think the Sydney Opera House is up there as well with a high chance people can place the location. It's unique structure and the 2000 Olympics (an iconic year) help also.
Well, as I said, it might get very variable depending on where you are from. Maybe in East Asia, where most people live, the Tokyo Tower is easily recognizable by almost anyone. In Argentina, I guess the 99% will ask WTF this red Eiffel Tower is. The Petronas Towers may be very well known there too, I have no idea. However, I am confident that in Latin America, Europe and Africa, Camp Nou is infinitely more widely known than the Petronas (Wembley, Santiago Bernabeu and several other stadiums also qualify, but I suspect Camp Nou has gained a bit more fame - it would be a different dicussion).
For instance, most people here don't really know much about the rest of the world, and I don't see many ones relating the shape of the Petronas to their name or their aproximate location thanks to pop references. I, myself, don't remember right now a movie portraying the Petronas (my fault). I know them due to my interest in geography and the world, and due to the factoid that they were designed by an Argentine, which brought them its 15 minutes of fame years ago.
Maybe, but it's indeed rarely advertised. The publicity on Taiwan (which isn't a lot) is mostly about the nature. It's not the most recognisable modern structure by any stretch of the imagination.
It's claim to fame comes from the fact that it become the tallest building in the world after unseating the Petronas Towers. Nowadays, it may have somewhat diminished in importance as it no longer holds that status, though it still ranks in the top 10 in the world.
I don't expect any future tall structure to surpass the Empire State Building or the Eiffel Tower in significance, as they held their title for a significant period of time, but being the tallest is one way of achieving recognition, even if it's short lived.
I will use the term ~modern times~ to refer to the last 100 years and here are my top 5.
Rio......................Christ the Redeemer
Sydney.................Opera House
San Francisco........Golden Gate Bridge
New York..............Empire State Building
Toronto................CN Tower
I will use the term ~modern times~ to refer to the last 100 years and here are my top 5.
Rio......................Christ the Redeemer
Sydney.................Opera House
San Francisco........Golden Gate Bridge
New York..............Empire State Building
Toronto................CN Tower
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