The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris. The Eiffel Tower was built between 1887 and 1889 based on the design of engineer Gustave Eiffel whose company designed and built the tower. it was initially criticized by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. In fact Eiffel’s design was chosen out of 107 other proposals as part of a competition to create an iron structure as the entrance way to Paris’ Universal Exhibition World Fair or ‘Exposition Universelle’. The intention was to mark the centennial of the French Revolution. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world: 6.98 million people ascended it in 2011. The tower 11:58 AM 2/2/2016received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.