Top Towers & Skyscrapers

A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures.

Towers are specifically distinguished from 'buildings' in that they are not built to be habitable but to serve other functions. The principal function is the use of their height to enable various functions to be achieved including: visibility of other features attached to the tower such clock towers; as part of a larger structure or device to increase the visibility of the surroundings as in a fortified building such as a castle; or as a structural feature as an integral part of a bridge.

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of over 40-50 floors, mostly designed for office, commercial and residential use. A skyscraper can also be called a high-rise, but the term skyscraper is often used for buildings higher than 150 m (492 ft). For buildings above a height of 300 m (984 ft), the term Supertall can be used, skyscrapers reaching beyond 600 m (1,969 ft) are classified as Megatall.

The Northeast Asia Trade Tower is the tallest building in South Korea.
The Gran Torre Santiago in Santiago, Chile is the tallest building in Latin America.
Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, was the first building outside the United States to break the 305 m (1,000 ft) mark and was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1990 to 1992.
The Abenobashi Terminal Buildingin Osaka is the tallest building in Japan.
The Commerzbank Tower is the tallest building in Germany.
The Shard in London, United Kingdom is the tallest building in the European Union.
Mercury City Tower in Moscow, Russia is the tallest building in Europe.
The two towers of The Imperial in Mumbai are the tallest buildings in South Asia.
One Raffles Place is the tallest building in Singapore.
First Canadian Place in Toronto is the tallest building in Canada.
Baiyoke Tower II in Bangkok is the tallest building in Thailand.
The Carlton Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa is the tallest building in Africa.
- The US Bank Tower in Los Angeles is the tallest building in the United States west of the Mississippi River.

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Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is the tallest building in the world.
Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, China is the second tallest building in the world.
The Abraj Al-Bait Towers in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the tallest clock tower, tallest hotel, and the 3rd tallest building in the world.
One World Trade Center in New York City, is the 4th tallest building in the world and tallest in the Western Hemisphere.
Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010
The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004, and are still the tallest twin buildings.
Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, in Chicago, United States was the tallest building in the world from 1974 to 1998.
The Shanghai World Financial Center is the 6th tallest building in the world, the 2nd tallest building in the People's Republic of China.
The International Commerce Centre of Hong Kong is currently the 8th tallest building in the world. The top 15 floors are occupied by the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, the world's tallest 6-star grand hotel, replacing the Park Hyatt Shanghai Hotel.
New York City's Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world from 1931 to 1972 and is the fourth tallest building in the United States.
Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, People's Republic of China (PRC) is the 7th tallest building in China.
The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is the fourth tallest building in the United States.
The Ryugyong Hotel is the tallest building in North Korea.
Q1, on the Gold Coast in Australia, is the world's 3rd tallest residential building.