The highest towers in the world

Burj Dubai, whose inauguration is scheduled for Monday, will be the biggest tower in the world at more than 800 metres (2,640 feet) tall.

The exact height of the tower has not been officially announced, but developer Emaar says the height is at least 800 metres. Informed internet sites have put the overall height at 818 metres, while architects working in the region say it could be even higher.

The top of the tower is visible from a distance of 95 kilometres (59 miles). The first 605 metres are made from concrete, a world record, while the rest of the structure is made out of metal.

The tower is at the heart of a roughly 20-billion-dollar (14-billion-euro) project named Downtown Burj Dubai, which includes the Dubai Mall, one of the biggest shopping centres in the world.

The tower has been under construction since 2004 and had originally been scheduled to be inaugurated in 2008.

Here are the 10 biggest towers in the world, not taking into account their antennae:

828m (2,717 feet) - Burj Dubai (United Arab Emirates, 2009)

508m (1,676 feet) - Taipei 101, Taipei (Taiwan, 2004)

492m (1,624 feet) - Shanghai World Financial Centre (China, 2008)

442m (1,459 feet) - Willis (Sears) Tower, Chicago (United States, 1974)

410m (1,353 feet) - Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia, 1998)

407m (1,343 feet) - Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong (2003)

381m (1,257 feet) - Empire State Building, New York (United States, 1931)

374m (1,234 feet) - Central Plaza, Hong Kong (1992)

369m (1,218 feet) - Bank of China, Hong Kong (1989)

366m (1,208 feet) - Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai (China, 1998)

Among the towers currently under construction:

610m (2,013 feet) - The Tokyo Sky Tree, originally referred to as New Tokyo Tower (Japan, 2012)

609m (2,010 feet) - Chicago Spire, Chicago (United States, 2010)

600m (1,980 feet) - Abraj Al Bait, Mecca (Saudi Arabia, 2010)

541m (1,785 feet) - One World Trade Center, at Ground Zero, New York (United States, 2014)

484m (1,597 feet) - International Commerce Centre Hong Kong (2010)