Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal Sep 10, 2024

Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal

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:

Jan 8, 2026Starling murmuration over the ruins of Brightons West Pier, England
A beach of many colours
Chasing summer in the art world
Gravity-defying wonders of the world
Apr 19, 2024Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland
Ive got a lot of problems with you penguins!
Oct 7, 2024The Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, Germany
An unbreakable bond between siblings
Dec 10, 2024Lands End, Cornwall, England
The sun sets on the Valley of the Moon
Jan 24, 2026Andermatt village in the Alps, Switzerland
Jun 15, 2025Happy Fathers Day!
What’s blooming so brightly?
Jul 14, 2024Shark Awareness Day
Aug 30, 2024International Whale Shark Day
Apr 15, 2025World Art Day
Celebrating Guru Nanak Gurpurab
Nov 3, 2023Pacific sea nettles off the coast of Carmel, California, USA
Jun 2, 2024Hampi, Hospet, Karnataka
The gateway to jungle
Pride and Joy
Oct 1, 2024Yosemite National Park, California, USA
A bridge that holds up history
Dec 6, 2025Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
Back to the future
A dramatic celebration of peace
Feb 10, 2026Es Vedrà and Es Vedranell, Ibiza, Spain
May 7, 2024A duckling swimming in a water meadow, Suffolk, England
Nov 7, 2024Vancouver Coastal Sea wolves in the Great Bear Rainforest, Canada
Nov 23, 2024Fibonacci Day